


There's No Telling What You'll Find

by Rawrpeep



Series: Into the Wild [1]
Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Confusion, Drunk Shenanigans, Found Family, Gen, Humans are space orcs, Humor, I can't believe I forgot to tag, Impromptu Karaoke, Just to be safe, Minor Injuries, Movie Night, No Sexual Content, POV Impostor (Among Us), POV Second Person, PROTECT THEM, Panic Attacks, Pink Needs a Hug, Polus (Among Us), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Purple is precious, Red is sus, Road Trip, Strangulation, Tentacles, Xenophobia, and lime is in charge of it, black is embarrassed, blue loves his crew with all his heart, but it's brief, but she finally gets her hug, chapter 1 callback wooo, crewmates are humans, cyan is a ball of anger, cyan is actually precious, cyan likes to draw, did i just introduce four different alien races, did i seriously just add three more characters?, green is everyone's dad, here are some ACTUAL space orcs, humans are known as terrans, humans may be space orcs but, if purple is precious then lime is baby, mint what the fuck, oh look there's more aliens than just the impostors, oh look there's murder now too, oh look they have real names, oh shit there are ships now, oop there's violence now, orange and yellow are big dorks but they care about each other, orange has no tact, other lime isn't afraid to call people out, other red is an asshole, pink goes to therapy, pink is a mess, prankster yellow, purple and lime are impostor shaped cupcakes, purple gets The Talk, purple has a minor existential crisis, purple is confused, purple pink and lime have one braincell between them, rated for future topics and swearing, red gets some character development, so is other white, stabby jr the cleaning robot, the end is here folks all that's left is the epilogue, uh oh plot strikes, we finally hear from MIRA and it's Not Good, we're marathoning harry potter, when you try to research aliens and just get more confused, white is everyone's mom, yellow is scary, yellow laughs too much, yellow still laughs too much, yes i did
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27486874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawrpeep/pseuds/Rawrpeep
Summary: Your name is Purple.  You are an impostor sent to research a new species, and you are afraid.(This is basically “Among Us” meets “Humans Are Space Orcs.”  It should be a lot of fun!)
Relationships: Black & Purple (Among Us), Brown/Pink (Among Us), Crewmate & Crewmate (Among Us), Crewmate & Impostor (Among Us), Crewmate/Crewmate (Among Us), Crewmate/Impostor (Among Us), Cyan & Purple (Among Us), Cyan/Purple (Among Us), Green & Lime (Among Us), Green & White (Among Us), Implied Black/Pink/Red, Impostor & Impostor (Among Us), Impostor/Impostor (Among Us), Lime & Pink (Among Us), Lime & Purple (Among Us), Lime & White (Among Us), Orange & Yellow (Among Us), Orange/Yellow (Among Us), Purple & Green (Among Us), Purple & White (Among Us), Purple & Yellow (Among Us), Red & Yellow (Among Us)
Series: Into the Wild [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056044
Comments: 165
Kudos: 363
Collections: Humans Are Space Orcs





	1. Prank

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! Testing out the waters here, so to speak. I don’t know how many chapters this will be, and I don't have any more written yet, but there’s no real plot to it.
> 
> Just so you know, the relationships between the characters are intended as platonic, but I suppose you can see it as romance if you want. So I’ll leave that up to you! Also: sorry if this story has a weird feel to it. I haven’t written anything in second person since I was part of the Homestuck fandom about seven years ago. Hopefully this goes well.
> 
> Title comes from the song “Into the Wild” by Team Me. Does it have anything to do with this story? Not really. I just like that song a lot. It’s got a pretty chill feel and I may have to use lyrics from it as titles in future stories.

Your name is Purple and you are a researcher on the Skeld.

You are an impostor.

Your mission is to study the species currently known as Terrans.

You have backup in the form of Lime, in the likely event that these creatures grow hostile.

If that happens, you and your partner are to exterminate the ones on this ship.

In the few decades they’ve been around other species, Terrans have proven themselves to be dangerous, aggressive, and adaptable. Their ire does not only apply to other species, but to their own as well. There have been several reports of Terrans brutally attacking each other over something as simple as a disagreement. There are rumors, too, relating to your own people. A few have managed to successfully sneak onto Terran ships to poke around, only to be swiftly executed once discovered. The ones who manage to survive are never quite the same. (With dread, you wonder why your higher-ups thought it would be a good idea to lie to these vicious creatures for the sake of study.)

Your name is Purple. You are an impostor sent to research a new species, and you are afraid.

\-------------------

The first several hours after boarding with the Terrans are nerve-wracking. Their attitudes can change as quickly as you can blink, and you fear you may have already been compromised if the blue-clad captain’s first words to you were anything to go by. (“You’re not a fake, are ya?” he’d asked seriously. You’d declined quickly and awkwardly, grateful for the universal translator in your helmet, and watched him bare his teeth through his visor before laughing sharply. You’d flinched when he clapped a hand on your shoulder with an alarming level of strength, and said “I’m just teasing, kid.” You still fear that he was not, in fact, teasing, and that you are, in fact, doomed.)

After the mandatory sleep cycle, the members of the crew are paired up on the captain’s whim. He cites paranoia as his reasoning, and you can feel dread coiling within at the prospect of being caught so soon. (You wonder if Lime feels the same way.) Your task-partner is in a yellow suit, shorter than you, but bulky with muscle. You feel intimidated by her, but she seems cheerful as she drags you toward storage.

“Help me get these out, okay Purple?” Yellow grabs a box from a high shelf after climbing on top of some other boxes and nearly falling several times.

_Remarkably balanced, but not graceful,_ you note, watching her jump down. She hisses in pain, dropping the box and rubbing at her legs.

“ _Shit_ that hurt,” she grumbles before baring her teeth like the captain, “Remind me not to jump from that high again, okay?” You quietly speak your agreement and she laughs, opening up the box she brought down with her. It contains an old cleaning robot with chipped paint and several dents. Yellow makes a noise of what you assume to be delight and lifts the object out with a bizarre level of tenderness.

“Yes! This trip is gonna be so much fun.” She flips the switch to turn the robot on and caresses the object’s top like it’s a pet. The action confuses you, as it is a hunk of machinery and lacks a nervous system, but you keep it to yourself. Yellow sets the bot on the floor and speaks to it like a youngling.

“Okay, Stabby Jr., go do your cleaning and I’ll try to find something to strap to you!”

The machine beeps as if it understands, furthering your confusion, and it slips away, bumping into several objects on its way out of storage. Yellow is all teeth but seems to be in a good mood. You’re beginning to wonder if the expression is meant to be inviting rather than intimidating. With a strange flash of courage, you ask her why she treated it as if it was sentient.

“Because Stabby Jr. is shaped like a friend and he deserves all of the love and affection I can give him.”

You simply nod like you understand, though her answer only brings more questions.

_Some Terrans will pack-bond with anything,_ you think, _regardless of whether it is sentient or not. The notion is oddly charming and does not line up with reports I have studied._

\--------------------------

_I take back what I said about their pack-bonding being charming. It is now alarming._

After the next mandatory sleep cycle, you and your partner go to the kitchen. Yellow grabs something to eat before rummaging around in a junk drawer. You cautiously sip on your nutrition beverage and observe. Your task-partner cheers and holds up a pen and a roll of tape. You look on in confusion.

“Haha, yes! Stabby Jr. will love this. Too bad I can’t find an actual knife...” You don’t know what possesses you to speak, but you do.

“...I have one.” Your voice is quiet and your body fills with ice. You’ve _definitely_ given yourself away this time, and it’ll be a miracle if you survive until the next sleep cycle.

“You do?!” Yellow gasps and bounces a little, pressing into your personal space. Fortunately, she doesn’t seem aggressive. “Did you smuggle it on with your personal belongings?”

“...Yes?”

“That’s ballsy! I like you.” Yellow’s teeth are back and there’s a strange inner light in her eyes. She leans in closer. “Dude. Purple. You _have_ to let me borrow it. For a prank.”

“...Excuse me?”

“Come onnn, dude! It’s for Stabby Jr.!”

“...Will I get it back?”

“Pfffft, of course!” Yellow playfully swats at you. At least, you hope it’s playful. “If someone takes it, I’ll get it back and pretend it’s mine so I can return it to you later. They’ll probably bring it up at a meeting or something, so it would be easy.”

“...Won’t that place suspicion on you?”

“Oh, definitely. But Red can back me up- we’ve been friends since we were little and they know I’m a prankster.” You simply nod in response, reluctantly handing over the knife your higher-ups had given you prior to your assignment. It feels wrong, but even _you_ have to admit that you’re a bit curious. You try to convince yourself that this is a good idea.

_It’s for research purposes. Plus, if they find out I’m not one of them, they’ll destroy me, and I won’t need a knife at that point._

_\-----------------------_

Several minutes pass and you and your task-partner find yourselves, and the cleaning robot, in shields. The machine beeps and bounces into Yellow’s legs and she picks it up to coo at it. She tells it that she’s proud of it, and then presses it into your arms with a request for you to hold onto it. You comply, watching in fascination as she strategically and strongly tapes the knife into place on the robot’s surface. She grabs it from you when she’s done and presses a finger to the front of her helmet, shushing you. (You are confused. You haven’t spoken a word in this room, so why did she try to quiet you?)

She leads the way down the hall, slowly and carefully, and peeks into comms. Stabby Jr. does not beep, as if waiting with anticipation. You look in as well and see Green standing next to Cyan, who is sitting at the desk, helmet propped up on one hand. (You don’t think that their recent sleep cycle went very well.) Your task-partner aims the pointy end of the robot’s new accessory toward Cyan and sets the machine down. She pulls you to the other side of the doorway, toward storage, to watch. Stabby Jr. slides straight toward the tired crewmate, and quickly lives up to its namesake, jabbing the poor Terran in the ankles. They abruptly get up and nearly fall over.

“FUCK!” Cyan shouts, crawling onto the chair and holding their legs out of the robot’s range. “Why does the cleaning bot have a knife? WHO GAVE IT A KNIFE?!”

You can’t hear Green’s response because Yellow has rapidly dragged you into storage. She nearly topples over in glee, leaning against a crate to balance herself. She laughs until she struggles to breathe. The sound is both exhilarating and terrifying.

\---------------------

Later, between dinner and the beginning of the next sleep cycle, you take the time to write out the day’s most noteworthy observations in a journal.

_Terrans behave in a casually aggressive way, in what is known as a “prank.” These “pranks” appear to be intended as ultimately harmless, but the sentiment does not appear the same for the target._ _I dread the day that I become the victim of one of these “pranks.”_

In a blank area of the page, you sketch out an image of the weaponized cleaning robot and add a few notes.

_Exhibit A: This is a standard cleaning robot, model R00-MB4, that my assigned task-partner (Subject Y) has named “Stabby Jr.”_ _She “borrowed” the knife I was given for personal safety, and strapped it to the machine’s top. Subject Y then p_ _roceeded to send_ _it into communications, where Subject G and Subject C were, and it stabbed Subject C in the ankle, piercing their suit and causing minor bleeding._

_Side Note: Upon receiving the injury, Subject C cried out “fuck.” I believe it may either be an expletive or a mating call. Context points to expletive, though I cannot be certain with Terrans._

_Further observation is necessary for a thorough analysis of this species._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said at the beginning, I don’t know how many chapters there will be, nor do I know how often I’ll update. It’s just an idea that popped into my head at work and rapidly expanded.
> 
> I have another story I’m working on for this fandom. It’s mostly done but I’m struggling a bit with the end, so it may be a while.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!


	2. Pack and Principle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I didn’t think this would blow up that quickly? Thank you all so much! Here’s another chapter for you! Lots of dialogue here, sorry folks.
> 
> Also: Warning for a slightly graphic description of menstrual/reproductive cycles. Poor Purple basically gets part of "the Talk."

It has been several sleep cycles since Yellow equipped the cleaning robot with your knife.

When you’re not with her, you’re in medbay, aiding Green in patching up the injuries Stabby Jr. has caused. By some miracle, neither you nor Yellow have been punctured by the bot. Unfortunately, the rest of the Skeld’s crew have not been so lucky. The machine seems to have a taste for Cyan’s blood in particular, though you are uncertain as to why. You think that, perhaps, it is because Cyan was the bot’s first victim. You do not understand, as the machine still has not gained sentience, but you have learned to, as the Terrans say, “roll with it.”

As you are bandaging White’s ankle, someone calls a meeting. You quickly wind the cloth around one last time and secure it. White offers you a kind smile (that thing the Terrans do with their mouths; you have learned there are several types, including the toothy ones Blue and Yellow frequently bestow upon you, and that they can have different meanings).

“Thank you, dear,” White says as you help her stand. She leans on you for support as the two of you head to the cafeteria for the meeting. She is older, but not elderly, and you’ve noticed she has incredible levels of patience. You feel that, in the event your mission is compromised, she would give you a chance to explain yourself before your execution.

You like White.

The two of you are the last to arrive. You help her into her seat before sitting between Lime and Yellow. Captain Blue grins (the toothy type of smile) in a semi-hostile way and places Stabby Jr., who is beeping indignantly, onto the table. You can hear Yellow gasp beside you and swat lightly at your arm. (You have found that she enjoys physical contact and initiates it whenever possible, though you do not respond to her this time.)

“Okay,” begins the captain, “I think we all know why we’re here. _Someone,_ ” he eyes you and Yellow and you feel fear spike through you. Yellow squeezes your hand for her sake and Lime squeezes the other for your sake. “Ahem. _Someone_ smuggled a knife on board. I think we’re all intimately familiar with that by now, though.” Blue chuckles as the majority of crew reaches down to rub at their ankles. (Lime winces and does the same, so you squeeze his hand in apology.)

“Now,” Blue continues, “I know that nothing too bad has happened, but knives are usually a sign of an impostor, according to MIRA.” He holds up a hand to calm the crew when everyone gasps and starts muttering. You and Lime try not to panic, though it might be more convincing if you do, since the others are. It takes a few minutes, but Blue successfully takes back control of the meeting.

“Just in case there _are_ impostors here...” he places his hands on the table in an intimidating manner and you stop breathing. “If you fuckers do _anything_ to harm my crew, I’ll send your asses out the airlock before you even realize what’s happening. Now,” Blue stands back up and relaxes his posture into something casual, removing the weapon from the disappointed cleaning robot. He seems to keep his focus on you and Yellow. You still aren’t breathing. “Whose knife is this?”

“Mine!” Yellow pipes up, releasing your hand. You feel a stab of fear for her safety and it confuses you.

“Yellow!” Red groans from across the table, shaking their head in exasperation. Blue simply watches. “Why would you bring a knife on here? You know it’s not allowed!”

“ _Because,_ Red, we’ve all heard the legends of Stabby the Roomba. I wanted to do that, too! And no one’s been hurt _too_ badly...” Yellow looks a bit awkward and apologetic when Cyan coughs pointedly into their fist. (You wonder why they did that, when their helmet is preventing the contents of their cough from escaping.) “Err… Sorry, Cyan. Didn’t think Stabby Jr. would like you so much!” Yellow laughs a little in an attempt to break the tension. It doesn’t seem to help much and Cyan sticks up the middle finger on each of their hands. (You decide to find out the meaning of this gesture later.)

“Yellow, I just...” Red sighs deeply and rests their head on their arm. “I don’t even know what to say to that. Sorry, Captain Blue. She’s always been a prankster, ever since we were kids.”

( _What is a “kid”? Is it their word for a youngling?_ You decide to find out about this at some point as well.)

“Be that as it may,” Blue responds, sliding the knife to Yellow. “We can’t have Stabby Jr. here going around hurting people.”

“But Captain, he’ll be so sad without his knife!” Yellow cries out, looking distraught.

“Yellow, he can keep going around, he just can’t have a knife.” Blue shakes his head, turning his attention to everyone gathered. “Does anyone have any suggestions? Preferably something that _won’t_ cause bleeding.”

Muttering around the table resumes and you are stunned. _The Terrans will allow the cleaning robot to continue stabbing them? As long as it doesn’t_ _make them_ _bleed? The machine can freely harm, but if we do anything similar, they’ll execute us… Oh, ancestors, what have we gotten ourselves into…?_

“Ooh, how about a fork?”

“We don’t have any cutlery on board, Black,” Green points out.

“Damn.”

“What about a pen? Those usually have rounded tips, right?”

“I like that, Orange,” agrees Cyan, “At least with ink, I can wash it out. Blood _stains_.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Cyan, dear,” White says, “Ask anyone with a uterus on board and they can give you tips on how to remove bloodstains.”

_What… Is a uterus?_

“Oookay!” Blue loudly cuts in with an awkward hitch in his voice. You think he may be concerned about how quickly the topic derailed. “Let’s vote on it. All in favor of giving Stabby Jr. a pen instead of a knife, raise your hand.” Every person at the table lifts one of their hands. You and Lime quickly follow suit in hopes of not raising suspicions, though he’s still holding one of your hands. “Okay. Who has a pen? We can’t let our little buddy here suffer without a weapon for much longer.”

“I saw one in the junk drawer in the kitchen!” Yellow.

“And you still taped a knife to him instead?!” Red.

Yellow doesn’t answer and bounces to the kitchen, returning swiftly with the promised pen. Blue takes it from her and does the honors himself, taping the object to the top of the cleaning robot. The machine beeps a few times like it’s pouting, but zips straight for Cyan when Blue sets it down. Cyan screams and runs away, causing the crew to laugh at their expense.

“I think this meeting is over,” Blue wheezes, doubling over against the table. “Everyone is dismissed!”

\--------------------------------

It is just before the beginning of the mandatory sleep cycle once again, and you are writing your day’s observations down. The meeting had been… interesting, to say the least. Yellow still hasn’t returned your knife like she told you she would, though she has had several opportunities to do so. Disappointed, you make a note of it.

_Terrans, or at least Subject Y, seem to make empty promises. Stabby Jr. no longer has my knife, and it is currently in Subject Y’s possession. A prior point I made appears to hold true for nearly every crewmate on this ship: Terrans will pack-bond with anything. An emergency meeting was called simply to_ _swap out_ _the robot’s weaponized accessory with something less dangerous, and the vote_ _was unanimous. The machine was given a pen, and immediately gave chase to Subject C, who fled the room with surprising speed. This meeting brought up a few questions that I will write below, and answer when I acquire the necessary knowledge._

_What is a “kid”?_

_What is a “uterus”? And why do those who have one know how to remove bloodstains?_

_What does this gesture mean?_

Below the last question, you sketch out an image of a Terran hand with just the middle finger sticking up. The moment you finish the drawing, there is a knock on your door. You’re fairly certain that it’s Lime, since no one else has pestered you while in your personal quarters. You stand and move to the door, not bothering to close your journal.

Yellow is standing on the other side.

You are rigid with surprise when she asks to come in. You permit her entry, backing up in a poor attempt to hide your journal from her prying eyes.

“Sorry to bother you so late, Purple,” she says. “I wanted to give your knife back when no one would see.”

“...Oh. Um. Thank you.” She steps toward you and places the weapon in your palm. When you try to place it on your desk, she grabs your wrist and gets uncomfortably close. Her expression is intense and it frightens you.

“...You know, Purple,” she begins lowly, unblinking. “That meeting got me thinking. Be honest with me, now. You didn’t just smuggle that knife on, did you?” You are frozen in place and do not respond, though your breath catches. You think you may be trembling slightly. Yellow straightens her shoulders, and although she is at least a foot shorter than you, you are intimidated.

“You’re an impostor.”

You make an involuntary sound somewhere between guilt and terror. You’re definitely shaking now. Yellow’s grip on your wrist is tight, and she somehow manages to flip the knife around to point at your chest. She presses toward you and you back up, falling onto your bed. Yellow’s expression is a terrifying combination of anger and nothingness when she rests the tip of the weapon against your chest, poised to plunge it into your core.

“You had a knife. You don’t understand a lot of things that my people innately know, and you’re awkward and clumsy as hell when you try to do tasks. Red told me that Lime is the same way. Now _tell me_ why the _fuck_ you’re here.”

You begin to hyperventilate. You clutch at the blankets with your free hand. Yellow presses the knife a little harder and punctures your suit.

“Answer me!”

“O-observation,” you squeak out softly.

“For what reasons?! Are you going to report back to your leaders about our weaknesses? So you can destroy us? I don’t _fucking_ think so.”

“N-no!” You can barely hear yourself over the rapid thumping of your core. “Y-you’re a new species. We know little to nothing about you. We want t-to _understand_.”

“Then why didn’t you just ask instead of sneaking onto our ship? That’s suspicious as hell.”

“B-because of _this.”_ You somehow manage to release your death grip on your blankets and gesture to the knife against your chest. You grab at the covers again almost immediately. “A-all we know for certain is that Terrans are labeled as highly dangerous, aggressive, and quick to anger.”

“That’s a motto for us _Terrans,_ ” Yellow snorts at the name, “’Actions speak louder than words.’ It means that we’d rather fight than talk when we feel threatened.”

“I do not understand how _you_ are the one feeling threatened right now.” You say. You are startled and flinch when she begins to laugh. The pressure from the knife eases up a bit, but it’s still aimed at you.

“You’ve got me there. Now… if I let you up, what are you going to do? Kill me? Run for help?”

“If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. I don’t need a knife for that.” You turn your head away and wince, ashamed for letting that detail of your species slip. Fortunately, Yellow doesn’t press the weapon any closer. She still seems to be waiting for an answer, however.

“I… will ask you questions about your species. If, um. If that’s okay.” You clear your throat awkwardly. “And I will continue my observations as if this confrontation never happened. We have no intention to harm you unless in self-defense.” Yellow stares you down for a few more unsettling moments before holding out the smallest finger on her free hand.

“...Pinky promise?” she asks. You are uncertain about this method of sealing deals, but you hold out the “pinky” of your hand regardless. She hooks hers into yours with a nod before standing up and placing the knife on your desk. She grabs your journal and skims today’s notes, plopping into the chair while you sit up. She lets out an annoyed huff at the first line, and then starts cackling like a maniac when she reads the questions.

“Um…?”

“Haha! H-holy fuck, Purple. You really _don’t_ know anything about us, do you? Hehe!”

“Ah, no.” You pull your knees up to your chest and hug them, embarrassed. “What’s, um, what’s so funny?”

“Your wording.” Yellow seems to have forgotten her foul mood from the last several minutes and seems to be treating you like she has since you were partnered together. You find the behavior to be bizarre. “You guys don’t know what a uterus is?”

“...No? Please tell me.”

“Hahaha! Oh my god, Purple, you’re killing me here!”

“I-I am _not_! That would break our deal, and you are very much still alive!”

Yellow laughs so hard that she struggles to breathe and you panic a little. When you reach out in an attempt to help, she waves you off.

“It’s a figure of speech, Purple!” she manages to say between gasps for air. “Fuck, that was hilarious. I just threatened to kill you, and then you tried to help me catch my breath. That’s so… Weirdly adorable? Holy shit. I think I can forgive you for lying to me for the last week and a half. You’re so cute.”

You are confused (and apparently cute).

“Um… I think that you are attempting to compliment me? But, um. Please tell me what a uterus is. And what the gesture in the diagram means.” Yellow starts laughing again like she can’t control it, but the outburst doesn’t last as long this time.

“A uterus is part of our reproductive system,” she tells you, sliding her finger on the page from the question to its second part. “And it fills up with blood every few weeks in preparation for a fertilized egg to grow into a baby. But if we don’t have any fertilized eggs, it pours out of us for a week straight.”

You look at Yellow in horror.

“How can you survive that much blood-loss...? And how many eggs do you lay on average in a successful breeding cycle?”

“Oh, we don’t lay eggs. We give live birth to usually one baby, but there are some people who’ve had eight or more at once.” Your eyes widen in further horror and astonishment. “Sometimes, the place the babies come out from doesn’t work properly, so certified doctors have to cut us open to get the kid out.”

You are utterly terrified and horrifically fascinated. You fear you will have nightmares for weeks after learning about this. Yellow is amused.

“And to answer your question about the hand gesture you drew? It’s an insult. It means ‘fuck you.’ It can be used in genuine anger or as a joke.” She stands up from the chair and heads toward the door. “Anyway! I’m going to bed. I won’t tell anyone about your little secret, as long as you don’t try to hurt anyone. Goodnight!”

Yellow leaves. You wait for a few minutes before moving to your desk to finish logging your observations, adding in the answers to the questions you’d written before. After a brief hesitation, you add in a few more notes.

_Terrans are highly intelligent. Subject Y has discovered my identity, and nearly killed me during a private confrontation after the previous section of notes was written. Fortunately, she has decided to be merciful and keep my secret away from the others._ _In my experience,_ _this points to Terrans having the possibility to be reasoned with, as long as you are cautious and submissive when they confront you._ _This holds true especially if they are equipped with some type of weapon._

As you go to close the journal, you pause, eyeing the first line of today’s notes. You pick your writing utensil up again and cross it out, writing in a correction right above it before preparing to sleep.

~~_T_~~ ~~ _errans, or at least Subject Y, seem to make empty promises._~~ _Terrans keep their word._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 30 kudos in the first 24 hours… I’m so proud, so grateful. Thank you all so much <3
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! It just kept going on and on, and ended up about 1k words longer than the previous chapter. But banter and dialogue is my strong point, so it had to be done. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Here’s a little guide for roles/skills and genders:
> 
> Male: Lime, Blue, Green, Orange  
> Female: Yellow, White, Black  
> Non-binary: Red, Purple, Cyan
> 
> Impostors: Purple, Lime  
> Captain: Blue  
> Medical: Purple, Green  
> Engineer: Yellow, Lime  
> Weapons: Orange, Black  
> Navigation: White  
> Comms: Cyan  
> Security: Red


	3. People and Poison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate every one of you who reads, likes, and/or comments <3
> 
> Hooo boy, churned this sucker out in one sitting for all you lovely folks! Took about 10.5 hours with food and bathroom breaks. I hope it goes over well!
> 
> No one has asked, but I want to make a note here about the timeline. This takes place before the events of the game itself, so impostors have no real reason to kill the crewmates yet, unless in self-defense, which has been mentioned. Sometime in the future (possibly in this story, I haven’t decided yet), something happens that causes enmity between them, leading into the game we all know and love.
> 
> WARNING: Discussions of alcohol and some drunken karaoke toward the end. Tread carefully if that’s something that bothers you. Purple’s end notes summarize the chapter pretty well if you have to skip something.

Yellow is waiting for you when you open your door the next morning. You stumble back in surprise and she grins at you.

“What’s the matter, Purple,” she teases, “Cat got your tongue?” You straighten your posture and step toward her, tilting your head.

“I… do not know what that means. What is a cat? And why would it have my tongue?”

“It’s a tiny predator we keep in our homes for companionship. They have sharp teeth and claws and they like to attack feet.”

“Excuse me?!”

She just laughs at you and smacks your shoulder playfully, leaving the second half of your question unanswered. Dumbfounded, you follow her to the cafeteria.

“Yellow,” you begin softly, “may I ask what your species is called? You did not seem pleased when you learned that we refer to you as Terrans.”

“I mean, that’s the scientific name for our home planet. Terra. We just call it Earth.” Yellow shrugs. “We call ourselves humans. Or, as a whole, humanity.”

“Thank you. I would like to ask about your planet’s ecosystem at some point, if you would permit me.”

“Sure.” She moves from your side to in front of you and begins voluntarily walking backward. It’s a strange sight. She reaches out a hand and pokes your chest. “Now, _I_ want to ask _you_ something.”

“Um. Certainly.” You suddenly feel nervous.

_Of course Yellow would want to learn more about my species. It would only be fair, since I am asking s_ _o much of her_ _. I am worried about what she may ask_ _me_ _, though..._

“Could you partner with Black today? Orange and I made plans at dinner last night, and the captain still wants us in pairs.”

Oh. That… isn’t nearly as bad as you were expecting. You nod.

“Yes, of course.”

“Great! We should be back by lunch, so it’s only for a few hours.”

\---------------------------------

Black cheers softly every time she shoots down an asteroid while you stand idly behind her chair. She hasn’t spoken much, so you aren’t sure what to think of her. She’s different from Yellow, however, and hasn’t shown any level of mischievous aggression as of yet. You wait patiently for her to finish her task, and she tips her head back over the top of the seat in a strangely charming manner when she’s done.

“Your turn,” she says and her voice is smooth and quiet. It is oddly soothing. “What task do you want to start with? Sorry mine took so long.”

“Ah, it’s no trouble. Keeping the ship safe from external damage is important.” You fidget a bit with your gloves. “I have samples to analyze in medbay. It takes a while, so I apologize in advance for wasting your time.”

“Oh, it’s fine, don’t worry, Purple. I just took an entire hour to shoot asteroids- the least I can do is wait for you as patiently as you waited for me.”

When Black stands at her full height, she’s a hand’s width taller than you. Somehow, you don’t find this intimidating. You believe this is due to her calm and easygoing personality. She nudges you lightly when you don’t immediately follow her to the door, and chuckles when you move forward. You decide to ask her if she has any idea as to why Orange and Yellow wandered off together. She shrugs at you.

“No clue. Orange likes to mess around, though, from what I’ve seen. He’s a big fan of Stabby Jr., did you know? Praised him whenever the bot cut up his ankles. I haven’t caught him actively pulling any pranks, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he and Yellow are plotting something.”

“If they are plotting something, I hope it is less dangerous than the robot.” You and Black step into medbay and see Green replacing Cyan’s bandages. He looks toward you and nods in greeting, securing the cloth around his partner’s injury. You nod back and go to prepare your samples. Within a few minutes, the little vials are ready to be placed into the machine. You enjoy this task because it gives you time to observe the Ter- _humans_ around you in the form of idle talk. Unfortunately, you find yourself unable to eavesdrop this time, as someone calls an emergency meeting. You press the button to begin the analysis and follow the others to the cafeteria.

Yellow and Orange are there, each holding a small crate. They seem excited. You take a seat and wait for the rest of the crew to filter in. You’re a bit surprised when Black decides to sit by you, and feel a bit bad for Lime when White sits on your other side. You watch as Lime awkwardly sits beside Red instead, across from you. Green, Cyan, and Blue sit together as well, with Blue on White’s other side. The captain glances at each of you, as if doing a headcount, before turning his attention to the ones who called the meeting.

“Well?” he asks, “What’s the emergency?”

“I wouldn’t call it an _emergency..._ ” begins Orange. “More like… an intervention? A fun intervention. We aren’t having enough fun. That’s why-”

“We found the booze!” Yellow cuts in excitedly, opening up one of the crates.

“Since when do we have alcohol on board?!” Cyan asks, sounding thrilled. They’re leaning forward, clearly interested. “We should have a party!”

_Alcohol? Isn’t that one of the ingredients of our cleaning supplies?_ _It is poisonous._ _Why would humans celebrate with_ _toxic_ _cleaning supplies? It doesn’t sound fun._

“Is it wise for us to drink?” asks White with concern, “If we’re all inebriated, who would care for the ship in the event of a _real_ emergency?”

“As much as I’d like to cut loose… White has a point.” Blue seems a bit upset at the prospect, eyeing the crates with longing. “I think that _some_ of us should be fine getting wasted, but there should be a few people who stay sober. You know. Just to be safe. Any volunteers?”

“No _way_ am I giving up on this,” Cyan says, reaching a hand toward the crate. “It’s been _so long_ since I’ve been able to have a good time and get drunk! And I think I deserve to have a few drinks after that damn Roomba turned my ankles into Swiss cheese.”

“Fine, fine, anyone else? White?”

“Ah, no thank you, dear. I can’t drink like I used to. If there’s wine, I may take a glass and sip at it a little, but I won’t drink enough to influence me.”

“Great! White’s the DD. Can we _please_ crack one open?” Cyan sounds like they may be begging. You aren’t sure what power this “booze” has over humans, but most of the crew seems eager to submit to it.

“Count me out,” Green says, shaking his head and getting up. “If all of you are going to get collectively shitfaced, I’d rather be preparing hangover remedies for you.”

“I, uh. I will help Green.” You pipe up awkwardly, walking over to him. “We will be in medbay,” you add for Lime’s sake, since he seems nervous.

“I think that, ah, at least one of the engineers should stay… sober.” Lime offers carefully.

“Come on, Lime,” Red looks at him pointedly and you are reminded that Red may be aware of your identities. You feel yourself tense up. “At least do a shot. Just one.”

“N-no. I respectfully decline. Thank you for the offer, Red.” Lime stands up and comes to join you and Green, seeking your hand almost immediately. You feel a bit odd standing between them, as they are the tallest people on the Skeld, while you are the shortest after Yellow. White waves at your little group and tells you she’ll be along shortly. Green sighs.

“Come on, you two. Purple still has samples to finish.”

“Oh! Right. Thank you, Green.”

\----------------------------

The samples are ready when you get to medbay. You move over to pick out the ones with the anomalies and Lime sits on one of the beds. Green is closest to the door and has his arms crossed, though he says nothing. Once your vials are neatly packed away, you sit beside Lime. Green remains standing and watches you.

“So,” he begins casually, “when were you going to tell me that you were impostors?”

Lime squeaks next to you and freezes up. You subtly shift yourself in front of him in the event that things become dangerous, though you’re just as afraid. _How did Green know?! We’ve barely interacted with him…!_

“Look,” Green sighs again, shaking his head. “You seem to be good kids, and I’m grateful that you haven’t tried to attack us. But I would appreciate some honesty here. _Why_ are you on this ship?”

“Haahaa… W-what are you talking about, Green?” Lime tries. “We’re just, uh, a couple of Terrans!”

You can feel Green judging you with his eyes, but he waits patiently.

“Lime, no,” You rub his shoulder and he shrinks into himself at his poor excuse. “You caught us, Green,” you admit, “We are… _really bad_ at this.”

“Purple…!”

“It’s… It’s okay, Lime. Yellow knows too. She confronted me about it after dinner.” You shift awkwardly and Lime hides his face in his knees with a pitiful moan. “To, um, answer your question, Green… We have no intention to harm anyone. We’re here for study purposes.”

“...I get that.” The human nods and moves to sit on the bed across from you. “I’m interested in researching other species as well. I’ll help you if you’re willing to help me.”

“O-oh.” You are surprised. This is going much more smoothly than it had with Yellow. “I… suppose we can cooperate? If you, uh. Don’t spread the word.” Green actually lets out a short laugh and smiles lazily at you.

“I’m pretty sure that most of the crew knows already. Or at least _suspects_ that you’re impostors.”

You go rigid at the idea and Lime releases a muffled sob of fear. You are suddenly reminded that he’s younger than you, just barely into adulthood, while you are just shy of your prime. With your identities so thoroughly compromised, he allows a few of his tendrils to slip out and curl around your arm, seeking comfort. You hear Green gasp softly at the display and, defeated, you decide to let your own tendrils out. They coil around Lime and offer reassuring squeezes and soothing touches.

“Fascinating,” Green murmurs. “How are you able to hide those so well?”

“We can change our shape at will,” you respond.

“That would certainly explain why you can successfully imitate a human body.”

You nod, carefully moving one of your tendrils toward Green so he can examine it more closely. The human accepts your offer and gently pinches and prods at it, dragging a finger along it to check its texture and consistency. You allow the tip to curl around his finger. He mutters his observations out loud.

“Smooth, not slimy… There are scales, but it’s difficult to see them… Feels a bit like petting a snake… Soft and spongy, highly flexible like the arms of an octopus… Likely all muscle and no bones… Amazing...” Green releases his grip and you retract the tendril. Lime is still clinging to you, but seems to be calming down a bit.

“Thank you,” Green says. You make a noise of acknowledgment and decide to ask a question of your own.

“If I may ask… How did you know we were not humans? We were very careful with our disguises.”

“Oh, easy. Your file says you specialize in medical, but you didn’t even know how to wrap a bandage when the Roomba was released.” You shrink in on yourself in embarrassment, a few of your tendrils curling at the ends. He chuckles. “Your behavior, too. The two of you were reluctant to be partnered with anyone else, and you’re awkward as hell.”

“I think Orange and Cyan are the only ones clueless enough not to suspect you, dearies.” You and Lime startle and press closer together when White’s voice comes from the doorway. She offers one of her usual kind smiles and sits beside Green, who greets her. “Part of me is upset with you for lying, but I understand why it was necessary. Humans can be harsh and unforgiving when we’re offended, and it doesn’t take much to offend us.”

“I… apologize for upsetting you, White.” You shift a little. “Should I- _we_ \- tell the rest of the crew? I admit that I am afraid to do so...”

“I-I don’t want to be thrown into space,” Lime mutters beside you, peeking up from where his face meets his knees. White frowns.

“I believe that honesty is a good policy, but… I don’t recommend telling them today.”

“W-why not?” Lime asks in a small voice.

“Is it because of the, uh… Cleaning chemicals?” You ask, genuine confusion evident in your tone. “The… alcohol. Booze. What is its function?”

The two humans look at each other and laugh. You feel a bit more embarrassed than before.

“Humans like to drink it for fun.”

“Drink…? But it’s poison!” Your embarrassment has shifted to a horror that Lime mirrors. “How can you survive drinking poison for entertainment purposes? How does it not harm you?!”

“It kind of does,” Green chuckles, grinning. “It makes us feel warm when we drink it, but doesn’t offer any actual heat. Once it works its way through our systems, we suffer excruciating head pains and sensitivity to light. We call it a hangover. Before it’s done going through us, though, it clouds our intelligence, slows our movements, and causes us to make… questionable decisions. Most people who drink simply enjoy it for the state of mind they’re in, but some people become dependent on it. We call that addiction- specifically alcoholism.” He stands up. “I don’t know how your species’ anatomy works, so I wouldn’t recommend trying any.”

“...Noted.”

“Well, dears, I recommend checking how the party is going. You don’t need to drink to have fun.” White smiles and stands, following Green toward the cabinets.

“You said you’re here for study, yeah?” He asks. You and Lime nod and begin to extract yourselves from the comfort puddle you’ve formed with each other. “Well, this is a good opportunity to see one of the more… _interesting_ sides of humanity. Have at it.”

\--------------------------------

With caution, you and Lime exit the medbay to return to the cafeteria. The sight you encounter is bizarre, to say the least. Red and Cyan are sitting at the center table, the former swaying slightly and the latter sobbing and hugging Stabby Jr. tightly. (“I’m sorry I yelled at you so much,” cries a slurring Cyan, rubbing their uncovered face against the robot. Ink scribbles cover their cheek. “You’re like. My best friend. I’m sorry I’m such a dick to you. Stabbyyy please forgive meeeee!”) Across the room, you see Orange and Yellow standing on top of a different table, striking dramatic poses. They appear to be… dancing? Blue and Black are standing on another table nearby doing the same thing. The two pairs are melodically screeching something at each other. You believe this may be an attempt at “singing.” With reluctant curiosity, you and Lime approach in hopes of making out their words.

“Mamaaaaaaaaaa oooooooooooo!”

“Didn’t meeeeeaaaaaaan to make you cryyyyyyyyy!”

“If I’m not back again this time tommoroooooooow!”

“Carry onnn! Carry onnn! As if nothing really matterrrrrrrsssss!”

You and Lime exchange a look of confusion. _Green was certainly correct about this being an… interesting side of humanity,_ you think. You and Lime grab some non-alcoholic beverages and take a seat elsewhere, content to watch the show.

\---------------------------------

_Today has been… eventful_ , you decide. You pick up your journal to record more notes before sleep, as you’ve been doing since boarding.

_Subject Y informed me that the species we currently know as “Terrans” refer to themselves as “humans” or “humanity,”_ _and that their native planet, Terra, is known to them as “Earth.”_ _She has also stated that humans keep tiny predatory creatures,_ _known as “cats,”_ _as companions in their homes._ _Subject Y and Subject O partnered up prior to mid-meal (lunch, as it’s known), leaving myself to partner with Subject B2._

_Subject B2 makes for pleasant company. She is very patient, and I think she may age to become similar in personality to Subject W. Speaking of… Subject G and Subject W_ _have made it known that they are aware of my and Accomplice L’s identities as non-humans. We were lightly chastised for keeping that secret_ _from them_ _, and they believe that the rest of the crew know as well. We were recommended to keep quiet about it until_ _the rest have “sobered up.” It means to expel poison from their bodies._

_That is another interesting thing about humans. They hold “parties” and ingest the liquid poison known as “alcohol” for recreational purposes. Subject G informed me that it clouds their intelligence and_ _both physical and_ _mental capabilities. He has also stated that the negative effects caused by this poison do not show up until it has worked its way through their bodily systems. He referred to it as a “hangover.” It was suggested that Accomplice L and I do not attempt to ingest this substance for our own safety._

_When Accomplice L and I left to observe the effects of alcohol, we encountered a strange sight. Subject C was crying into Stabby Jr., expressing their love for it, and Subject R was aimlessly_ _swaying back and forth in their seat. Subjects B1, B2, O, and Y were dancing on top of tables and attempting to sing, though it sounded more like melodic screeching._ _After a few hours of this, the humans, bar Subjects G and W, began to slow down, and several lost consciousness. When I informed Subject G of this, he told me it was common, and that they would likely be fine._

(You decide not to write about how you panicked when Orange fell off the table and didn’t get up, nor do you write about how Blue laughed and called him a “lightweight” before passing out as well. You had rushed to Green to tell him what had happened, and he came to help you make sure the others weren’t seriously injured. He explained to you that their bodies had simply forced them to fall asleep so they could work the poison out themselves.)

_From what I have witnessed here on the Skeld, humans are alarmingly durable and prone to making poor decisions. They are also easily offended, which can lead to them growing violent_ _and/or m_ _aking_ _threats_ _._ _Yet somehow… I do not wish to exterminate them. They are fascinating._

_I find myself wondering more and more as each_ _sleep_ _cycle passes… Is it possible for us to achieve peace with humanity, despite their dangerous nature? I believe it may be, under proper circumstances. I would certainly rather have them as allies than enemies._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaay, the impostors have more human buddies to accept them and answer their questions! I waaaas going to have them grab a bit of the alcohol so they could analyze it like the samples in medbay, but then it kind of got away from me. And, a bit late, but… Disclaimer? I didn’t do any research for this story at all, aside from looking up basic topics (pack-bond, alcohol, etc) to figure out where to go with this. So, uh. Sorry if something is wildly incorrect. I’m lazy.
> 
> Here’s the task pairs assigned by Blue, if anyone was wondering:
> 
> Red and Lime  
> Yellow and Purple  
> Green and Cyan  
> Orange and Black  
> Blue and White
> 
> Roles weren’t planned out when I decided to pair them up, so that’s why the engineers (Yellow and Lime) and the medical staff (Green and Purple) aren’t together.


	4. Panic and Protocol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is here! And the one after this is already written, too :D This one is a bit shorter, but hopefully you like it. (The next chapter is about twice as long as this, at over 4k words.) Once again, apologies for the massive amount of dialogue.
> 
> Good news! I had a slow day at work and did some brainstorming, so I think I know where I’m going with this plot!
> 
> If you were wondering at all, here are the cast’s ages:  
> Purple: 21-22 (impostor equivalent)  
> Lime: 18 (impostor equivalent; forgets that he’s an adult sometimes)  
> Blue: 36-ish  
> White: 48-49  
> Green: 39  
> Red: 25-ish  
> Yellow: 25-ish  
> Orange: 29  
> Black: 24  
> Cyan: 22-23

It has been two days since the party, and you haven’t told anyone else your secret yet. (Green and White had recommended you wait an extra day, because people with hangovers tend to be extra grumpy. You didn’t believe it until Cyan threw their boot at you when you turned on the cafeteria’s light, and Red told you to “piss off.”) It’s almost lunch, and you are in O2 with Lime and Yellow. She’s showing him how to clear the leaves from the filter, and he’s soaking up the knowledge like a sponge (a cleaning object used for retaining water and scrubbing surfaces, you learned).

Lime is with the two of you temporarily, while Red has wandered off to do their own thing. (You think they mentioned something about wires and storage, but you hadn’t been paying much attention, lost in thought.) You are standing next to the keypad for restoring oxygen levels in the event of an emergency, worrying over the upcoming meeting. (You and Lime decided you would tell the crew at lunch today, and you will be heading to the cafeteria after this task is complete.)

_What will they do when we tell them? What will they say? Are Lime and I going to be executed? It does not seem likely. If they were already aware, and they wanted us gone, they would have expelled us by now. At least, I b_ _elieve_ _that is the case. Will we be accepted? I am certain that Green, White, and Yellow will vouch for us if things become dangerous, but I am still fearful._

You are, quite literally, thrown from your thoughts as the ship shudders violently. Something outside, likely an asteroid, has just hit the Skeld, and you fall against the O2 tank behind you. An alarm goes off and red lights flash. It is getting harder to breathe by the second. Yellow, in a panic, pushes you away and starts frantically typing on the keypad.

“One of you needs to get to admin, right now!” she says, voice harsh with worry. “Type in the code taped by the pad. Go now! We’re all going to die if it doesn’t get fixed!”

You look at Lime and see that he’s frozen with fear, so you run out of the room. Going through cafeteria or storage would take too long, you think, running down the hall. You see the vent on the floor and melt into it, quickly reappearing in admin. You push the grate open and rush to the keypad in the corner, pressing the correct buttons with haste.

The alarm ceases blaring and the lights stop flashing. You sink to the floor in relief, eyes slipping shut while you greedily take in air. When you open them again, you see Red and freeze.

“I _fucking knew it,_ ” they hiss, advancing on you. You stand and stumble, cowering a bit beneath them even though they’re only slightly taller than you. “You just tried to kill us by sabotaging O2!”

“N-no!” you yelp, backing into the wall across from the keypad. Red gets right in your space, pinning you against the wall.

“I don’t believe you,” their helmet is barely an inch from yours and you’re shaking. “My sister was on a ship with impostors last year. Barely survived. She only got away because she took the escape pod once everyone else was dead.” Red grabs the fabric of your suit and shakes you a little, thumping you against the wall a few times in warning, but it doesn’t hurt as much as you expect it to.

“You and Lime, you _impostors,_ ” they spit the word, “can’t be trusted.”

“Wh-what have he and I done to earn your ire?” you ask with a slight whimper. “We have not harmed anyone!”

“Yet,” they say, tightening their grip. You swallow nervously and allow a few of your tendrils to slip out, hiding them behind your legs until they have a chance to stealthily move Red away.

“Red, I swear by the stars that we are not here to cause harm!”

“Oh really? Then why did you cause the O2 to malfunction? Why haven’t you told the crew what you really are?”

“It was an accident,” you squeak out, “that asteroid hit us and I fell against the keypad. You can ask Yellow! She was there with me! And Lime and I were going to tell everyone at lunch today!”

“I don’t believe you,” they repeat, but their tone sounds more petty than angry now. You hope it’s a good sign.

“P-please let go of me, Red.”

“...No.”

“...I’m sorry,” you try, and you can feel them grow tense.

“...What?”

“About your sister’s crew. About what my people did to yours. We do not cause harm without reason, but I am sorry regardless.”

Red says nothing, mulling over your words while watching you. They are still uncomfortably close, and you are still pressed into the wall, but their grip has loosened. You count it as progress, so you retract your hidden tendrils.

“Please give us a chance, Red,” your voice is shaking a little, “I swear to you that we will tell the crew before the next sleep cycle begins.”

Red’s muscles grow tense and they make a fist with their free hand. With a frustrated yell, they punch a hole in the wall next to your head before dropping you and turning away.

“Get out of my sight.”

You don’t stick around, hurriedly slipping back into the vent and returning to O2. When you find Lime and Yellow again, you tell them about the exchange, babbling on in a delayed panic for what feels like hours. Lime wraps you in their tendrils to soothe you, and Yellow hugs you tightly.

“They’ll come around,” she tells you quietly, and the tone is so different from her usual one, that you choke out a sob and press your head into her shoulder.

You hope she’s right.

\------------------------------

Lunch time comes and goes, but you do not attend, afraid that anything you eat may not stay down in your current mental state. Yellow does, however, and tells you that she’ll pair up with Red the rest of the day. You are grateful. You and Lime go the long way around to medbay, avoiding the cafeteria, and you stay there until it is nearly dinner time. When you are finally calm enough, you extract yourself from the comfort puddle you had formed with Lime and stand. He grabs your hand and gives it a squeeze before both of you leave for the cafeteria.

You press the emergency meeting button.

“I am afraid,” you whisper.

“Me too,” Lime responds.

Crewmates filter in, and half of them seem confused to see you and Lime at the button, while the other half are carefully neutral (Red) or smiling encouragingly (Green, White, Yellow). When everyone is seated, Blue pipes up.

“What’s the problem?”

“I doubt it’s the asteroid,” says Black, “I blew it up after it hit, and shields were still intact.”

“It’s not that,” you begin hesitantly, pressing as close to Lime as you can. He presses back and the crew exchange a look. “We… have some news.”

“Spit it out,” grumbles Cyan. “The sooner this meeting ends, the sooner we can eat.”

“I second that,” Blue nods. “So. Get on with it.”

You and Lime look at each other, then take a deep breath, squeezing each other’s hands tightly.

“We… are impostors,” you manage.

“Wait, really?” Orange.

“The fuck?!” Cyan.

“That explains a lot.” Black.

“It’s about time you admit it.” Blue.

“I’m proud of you, dears.” White.

“I second that.” Green.

Yellow simply gives you a big grin and two thumbs-up, while Red huffs but says nothing.

“You aren’t… angry?” Lime asks softly.

“Not anymore,” Blue says. “I’m just glad you finally said it. I was about ready to drag you to the table myself and interrogate you!” He laughs and some of your tension melts away.

“Somehow, I didn’t see this coming,” Black smiles, “Protocol says we’re supposed to eject you, but you’ve always been so polite to me. So I say _fuck_ protocol.”

“Th-that means the knife belonged to you!” Cyan shouts, but they sound more bewildered than angry. “My perfect ankles have been ruined because of you!”

“Oh, shut it, Cyan,” Yellow interjects with a laugh, “ _I’m_ the one who taped the knife onto Stabby Jr. and sent him after you. Purple just let me borrow it because they’re a big sweetheart that doesn’t like upsetting people.” You feel heat rise in your cheeks and you look away awkwardly, not denying it.

“Duuude,” drawls Orange, “Do you have, like, tentacles or something? Because that would be wild.”

“Orange, you can’t just _ask_ someone if they have tentacles.”

“But Black, it’s a valid question!” He pouts a bit. “Plus, do you know how many pranks can be pulled with extra limbs? Or how many tasks can be done? It would be so useful!”

Wordlessly, you release one of your tendrils and move it toward Orange. Some of the crewmates gasp, but Orange babbles excitedly, offering random objects to see how well you can hold them with your tendril. It soon turns into a game, with other people joining in and Lime offering his own tendrils for the silly experiments. At one point, it devolves into a test of your reflexes, and you and Lime end up with several non-fragile items thrown at you. You manage to catch them all and even throw a few back, much to the crew’s delight. Black volunteers herself to be picked up by your tendrils when one of the objects breaks a light bulb. With a fresh bulb ready, you easily lift her to the ceiling. Lime holds the new bulb so she doesn’t accidentally drop it, and offers it to her when she pulls the old one out.

As the night goes on, dinner is forgotten.

You feel pleasantly warm inside.

\------------------------------

A week has passed since you and Lime admitted your secret, and the crew has been much more accepting than you ever could have imagined. You are free to question them about their species as much as you’d like, with multiple sources to choose from now. Each of them have unique stories and experiences, and you eagerly take it all in. You even have help filling out your journal now; Cyan is incredibly skilled with drawing, and when you need to make a picture of something, you ask them. (They laughed so much you thought they’d pass out when they saw your sketch of the middle finger.)

All in all, it is wonderful to feel accepted by the humans. You are pleased beyond words that this is the ship you were assigned to, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Currently, you are on your way to communications to request a detailed drawing of the human body. You are alone; ever since you and Lime “came clean,” Blue has eased up on his partner rule. You step through the door to comms and see Cyan unusually focused on the systems, helmet off and headset on. You decide to question this.

“Cyan? Is everything okay?” They jump and twirl their seat to face you.

“Purple! Shit, don’t sneak up on me like that.” They turn back around, fidgeting with the knobs and dials in ways you’ll never understand. “Yeah, I think everything is okay? I’m getting a weird signal, though, and-” they pause and go rigid, listening closely to something.

“I-”

“Shhh!”

You close your mouth, waiting. Cyan is tapping their foot in code, leaning forward. Abruptly, they take the headset off and whirl around in their swivel chair again.

“Purple, go get Blue. Quickly. He should be in nav.”

Alarmed, you nod and speed off. The captain is exactly where Cyan said he’d be, chatting amicably with White while she charts the course.

“Captain!” you pop in and the two stop talking. “I’m sorry for interrupting, but Cyan needs you in comms. It sounds urgent.” A bit of worry flashes through his eyes, but he runs with you back to comms. Cyan has their headset back on, and they’re tapping their foot again.

“Cyan, what’s the problem?”

“Distress signal,” they respond, taking off their headset and offering it to Blue. He takes it and puts it on, tossing his helmet to the floor and listening. “It’s from another ship,” Cyan adds, “The Kiln. Something is wrong.”

Blue grabs the communication device and holds it up to his mouth, pressing a button.

“Skeld to Kiln, do you copy? Over.”

You can’t hear a response while he’s wearing the headset, but the way his eyes harden with focus makes you nervous.

“This is Captain Blue. What is your status? Over.”

Another pause. Blue is drumming his fingers on the desk. He freezes at one point, curling his free hand into a fist.

“Roger that. Prepare to board, over.” He removes the headset and looks at Cyan, then at you.

“The Kiln’s crew is dead,” he announces, and you and Cyan gasp. Your blood turns to ice when he looks at you in particular. Gravely, he continues.

“They were killed by an impostor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo… Does anyone else think there’s not enough murder? I think I need to fix that. <3
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	5. Interlude: Pink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooooo over 100 kudos? Thanks so much! <3
> 
> Here we have our first (and probably only) POV shift! This sets stuff up for the next “arc,” if you could call it that. I wrote this before I wrote chapter 4 tbh. Our lead in this is the impostor equivalent of a 25-year-old, and is a bit better at sneaking around than Purple and Lime.
> 
> Also... if you catch any typos, incorrect tenses, or accidental misgendering, please let me know! I checked this over several times, but I can still miss out on things easily enough. I fixed up some incorrect tenses in the first few chapters already.
> 
> Warning for violence and one incredibly shitty crewmate.

Your name is Pink, and you are an impostor aboard the MIRA ship known as the Kiln.

Your mission partner, and bond-mate, is Brown. They are the love of your life and you have plans to start a family with them when your mission is complete.

Like many of your people, you have been sent to study the new species known as Terrans.

You have heard the horror stories about these creatures, but you aren’t sure you believe them. You can’t even imagine attempting to harm or kill one of your people over something as simple as a disagreement, so you chalk it up to exaggeration and fiction to frighten younglings.

You are an optimist by nature and your species is known throughout the galaxies as passive and highly intelligent. Due to your ability to change your form at will, your people are frequently hired for reconnaissance and peace-keeping. As a whole, your species is fairly strong and fully capable of violence, though you generally prefer to talk things through first.

Your name is Pink, and you are confident that there is nothing to fear.

\-------------------------

It’s been about a week since the Kiln left Polus, and everything seems to be going well so far. You and Brown go about your tasks as usual, with them working shields and yourself working comms. The two of you are rarely apart, and the crew refer to you as “newlyweds,” whatever that means. They seem to think it’s sweet, however, so you aren’t offended. A few have even given you their “blessings”- another thing you don’t understand, but it sounds enough like approval to you.

Your crew is smaller than most vessels of this size, with only seven people compared to the usual ten. There were more, but illness swept through and you had to leave them on Polus to recover. The captain, White, had been insistent that the sick crewmates stay away from his healthy team, though a few of you had disagreed. Unfortunately, your opinions hadn’t mattered, since White was, and is, in charge and his word is law.

Blue is a bit strange, you think. She isn’t stern like the captain, nor is she rude and verbally aggressive like Red (and he’s another story entirely). She’s quiet like Black, but far more jumpy, and she can frequently be heard muttering to herself. You heard Lime refer to her as “paranoid” once. You don’t understand it too well, but you _think_ it means that her survival instincts are a bit too strong for her to handle. Despite this, she’s great at following orders.

Black speaks with their hands and you never really know what they’re saying. The universal translator in your helmet tries to pick up on the signals, but they’re quick enough that it skips over some meanings, and you miss out on their comments. You think that you would like to learn these gestures someday because they seem interesting. You consider asking Black for lessons during the next meal break.

Lime, sweet Lime. You love her dearly and want to protect her however you can. She reminds you of one of your younger siblings, from the second clutch your nurturers produced. (If you recall correctly, he’s on the same mission as you, just on a different ship. You haven’t seen him in a while. You hope he’s safe.) Lime is gentle and innocent, and she’s the only one who’s aware that you and Brown are not Terrans. She’s in charge of medical.

Red… Red is a very unpleasant person to be around and frequently offers up insults for reasons beyond your understanding. The captain tends to assign him some of the more unsavory tasks as punishment, such as fuel and trash, though he specializes in weapons. You’ve noticed that Red tends to seem calmer after he shoots down asteroids, and whenever you need to interact with him, you wait until he’s done with that.

Brown… You can’t imagine life without them. They are the most patient person you’ve had the pleasure of talking to, and you’re certain that they’ll make a fantastic nurturer when the two of you begin your family. They protect the things they care about in any way they can. (Brown frequently cared for the tree in O2 on Polus, speaking to it kindly when they thought they were alone. They cried when the Kiln left the outpost behind.)

And you… You are cheerful and try to help whoever needs it, though you’re a bit clumsy when it comes to certain tasks. Wires is the first that comes to mind, along with any other small or intricate jobs. (Like the reactor. Your memory is good, but the flashing pattern you need to copy is almost enough to make you want to cause someone bodily harm. You feel a bit guilty for it, but you tend to pawn that task off onto either Brown or Lime whenever you can.) You specialize in computers and communications.

All in all, your opinion on the Kiln’s crew is… neutral. You know you can count on them to help you in a pinch, but you’d rather avoid most of them whenever possible.

You can feel your head drooping. Comms are quiet today, with no urgent messages being pushed through, and you find yourself growing bored. A pair of hands find your shoulders and start rubbing, startling you until you look back and see Brown. They smile at you (a behavior both of you have picked up from the Terrans).

“Hey,” Brown whispers.

“Hey,” you respond, relaxing against them. “All done in shields?”

“Yeah. Are you okay?”

“Just bored,” you giggle softly and stand, stretching your body out before pulling Brown into a hug. “What time is it? Do you want to go get lunch?”

“Sounds good,” their voice is low and rich and they grab your hand. “It’s a little bit early, but maybe we can get a good seat.”

You and your bond-mate leave comms at a leisurely pace, and encounter Lime just at the end of the hall, near storage. She waves at you and skips forward.

“Pink! Brown! How are you?”

“Bored and hungry,” you say and all of you share a laugh. “You don’t usually come over here. Do you need help with something, Lime?”

“Ah, yes, actually. I need to get something from storage, but I’m too short to reach it.” Lime rubs the back of her neck, almost embarrassed. “Supplies left in medbay from that bout of sickness are getting low, and there’s some extra in one of the crates. Could you help me, please?”

“Of course,” Brown responds, patting her on the top of her helmet. “We’d be happy to help.”

Your little party of three walks into storage, chatting amicably. It’s always bothered you how packed this place is, with just enough room for people to move around. You’re a small crew, and you aren’t sure why you would need so many supplies. What’s even in all those crates? They’re stacked precariously, and you’re afraid that someone could get hurt if they aren’t careful.

You think you see Red through one of the gaps and wonder if he’s on fuel duty today.

Lime leads you through the maze of boxes and crates to a wall with a shelving unit attached. The shelves have plexi-glass sliding doors installed, and there’s a box on the top shelf labeled “medbay.” You reach up to grab for it when there’s a sudden impact and the ship begins to shake violently. You get thrown against the shelves and try to get up to steady yourself as quickly as you can. Brown and Lime are holding onto crates in an attempt to keep their balance.

“What just-” Brown begins before their voice cracks with fear. “Lime! Watch out!”

Everything is in slow-motion.

You look up in horror as one of the stacks begins to tip forward, right on top of Lime. She squeaks in terror but doesn’t move, frozen in place. Brown releases a burst of their tendrils and pulls her out of range, just as the crates come crashing down. Lime begins to cry and clings to them.

Red is on the other side of the mess, rigid with shock.

He takes off.

Your stomach churns.

\----------------------

You are surprised when an emergency meeting isn’t called immediately. It’s almost enough to lull you into a false sense of safety. With nothing better to do at the moment aside from worry, you help Brown bring a very shaken Lime to medbay, supplies in tow. You begin putting the supplies away in an orderly fashion, letting Brown soothe Lime. When you finish, you go to join them, sitting on the bed and wrapping your arms around the medic. Her trembling slowly eases and you breathe out in relief.

An emergency meeting is called a few minutes later.

The three of you exchange a nervous look and start toward the cafeteria, tense with foreboding.

You’re the last to arrive. Hesitantly, you take your seat, with Brown on your right and Lime on your left. You’re holding hands with both of them. Red, having called the meeting, is standing and watching your trio darkly. White speaks first.

“What’s the meaning of this, Red? Is there a problem with our defense systems after that impact?”

“No,” he says, not bothering to look at the captain. “I demolished that damn rock.”

“Then _what_ is the problem?”

“The _problem_ ,” Red bites out, “is that there’s a dirty fuckin’ _fake_ on board!”

The crew grows tense, and a few gasps rise up around the table. White stands as well.

“ _Excuse me?_ What do you mean?”

“Brown! They’re an impostor!” Red snarls and points, slamming his other hand on the table. The crew watches your bond-mate warily. You and Brown press closer together and you can feel them take a shuddering breath, but they don’t deny the accusation.

“Pink’s probably one too, since they’re married,” Red continues, words coated in venom. You grip the hands you’re holding tightly, only loosening when you hear Lime wince.

“I bet they’re just biding their time, trying to gain our trust. It’ll be easy to kill us then!” Red keeps going, pacing now. “We need to get rid of these monsters before they ruin us!”

“What proof do you have?” White asks, voice as cold as Polus. “This is a pretty serious accusation.”

“I _fucking_ saw them grab Lime with a dozen _fucking tentacles!_ ”

“Brown _saved my life,_ you idiot!” Lime shouts, finally losing her temper. “I would’ve been crushed under a stack of crates if they weren’t there!”

“But you don’t deny it!” Red snaps back. “I fucking _know_ what I saw. We’re all as good as dead if we don’t do something about it!”

“What do you have against impostors?” Brown asks, voice calm despite their terror. Red whirls toward them so quickly, you’re surprised his neck doesn’t snap. (You wish it had.)

“We’ve all heard the stories, you son of a bitch. You fuckers infiltrate our ships and spy on us and then kill us all!”

“We most certainly do _not!_ ” Brown recoils at the idea. “We are passive by nature. If my people have slain any of yours, I can assure you it was in self-defense!”

“I _don’t fucking care!_ You’re still spying on us, and that’s grounds for execution!”

“You’re a new species, and we want to learn more about you!”

“Bullshit!”

“ENOUGH! _”_ White yells and you all flinch. Brown hides their face against your shoulder, seeking comfort, and you rub their back. The captain glares at Red, who reluctantly takes his seat, then looks at you with an unreadable expression. His back and shoulders are straight and rigid with tension.

“We should vote,” White says. “All in favor of continuing on as usual, raise your hand.”

You, Brown, and Lime raise your hands.

“All in favor of ejecting Brown, raise your hand.”

Black, Blue, and Red all raise their hands, though Black seems almost hesitant. White has not voted yet.

“White, you’re the tie-breaker,” Lime nervously points out.

“I am,” White agrees, “and I’d rather play this safe than sorry. We can’t risk having unknowns on board.”

You choke out a sob.

“It’s decided. Red, help me put Brown in the airlock.” The captain and the aggressor advance. You and Brown stand and begin to back away.

“I haven’t done anything wrong!” Brown tries, grip tight on your hand. Their voice is shaky with fear.

“Black, hold Lime. Blue, separate them.”

“No!” You cry out when Blue stands and tries to drag you away. You fight, but by the time you break free, Red and White are closing the airlock, and Brown is panicking inside of it. You rush forward, but you aren’t fast enough. White hits the button.

“BROWN!” You wail in anguish, dropping to your knees as Brown floats away, motionless, into the stars. You scream and sob, feeling a piece of yourself wither and die.

Brown, your bond-mate, the love of your life, is dead, and you couldn’t save them. So lost in despair, you barely hear White speak.

“Grab Pink.”

“Leave her alone!” Lime yells with a thick voice. She sounds far away, and the rest of her words are garbled. You can’t really understand anyone anymore, but you can hear them speaking.

You try to think, but you’re numb.

Suddenly, Lime is screaming your name, and you snap back into alertness.

Blue is pulling on your arm again, and Lime is being held back by Black. Every breath brings you closer to the airlock, and something in you _snaps._ A feral snarl rises up around the room, and it takes you a moment to realize that you’re the one making the sound. Blue hurriedly lets go of you and steps away in fear, but she’s not fast enough. Your torso rips apart like a seam, and you can feel fresh blood on your sharp tongue, hot and decadent. You notice absently that she didn’t even get to scream with how quickly you impaled her.

The rest of the crew is screaming, though.

_Hide._ Something inside whispers to you. _The vent._

You’re in no state of mind to reject the idea, so you melt into the nearest vent.

\------------------------------------

You’re hungry.

It’s been two sleep cycles since you took cover in the vents, and longer since you ate anything. The hunger is deep and clawing, and it’s almost enough to drive you to desperation. Cautiously, you slip through the narrow metal tunnels, peering into the kitchen. Everyone but Lime is there and you bite back a hiss of frustration. There’s no way you can sneak a meal with that many witnesses, so you reluctantly retreat, making your way to medbay.

Lime is alone at the desk.

_Friend,_ the primal Thing inside murmurs, _s_ _afe_ _._

You lift the grate with a soft creak, poking your head out and startling Lime.

“Pink!” she almost yells, clapping her hands over the part of her helmet covering her mouth. She glances toward the door and sighs in relief when she realizes it’s closed.

“Pink, I’m so sorry about what happened to Brown!” You can hear the sorrow in her voice. You open your mouth to speak, but she’s still talking. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you save them. It’s all my fault, if I had just moved when the crates started to fall-”

“Lime,” you rasp, voice unused for so long, “I don’t blame you.”

She sniffles and reaches out a hand in a silent offering to pull you up. You don’t take it, shrinking in on yourself a bit. Slowly, sadly, she retracts it.

“Do you… need anything?”

“...Hungry.”

“I’ll get you something, just… stay hidden, okay? I’m worried that the others might follow me back in...”

You say nothing and simply pull the grate shut from the inside.

Lime returns several minutes later, thankfully alone, arms laden with meal packets and nutrition beverages. She takes a moment before she selects a packet and comes toward the vent.

“Pink?” she calls softly, holding it out. “Here. I grabbed one with a lot of protein. It should help you feel a bit better.” You peek out at her and accept the pouch, quickly ripping into it and slurping down its mushy contents. She simply watches, moving to grab a bottle of water for you. You gratefully accept that as well.

“I’ll keep a bunch of meal packets in here for you. It shouldn’t be suspicious- I only leave medbay for food and hygiene now. They’ll just think I’m avoiding them by hoarding my share, which I am.” Lime lays down on the bed closest to the vent, letting her arm dangle freely off the edge. “This can be your safe place- just make sure to look before you come out, in case I have a patient.”

With your hands occupied by the water and meal packet, you let one of your tendrils slip out and wrap around her wrist and hand. She sighs and watches.

“I,” you begin, the tip of your tendril tracing patterns into her palm. “I’m sorry I killed Blue.”

“I… don’t blame you,” Lime says after a moment, lightly rubbing your tendril with her thumb. It feels nice. Soothing. “I was surprised to see you kill her, but… She shouldn’t have touched you while you were in that mental state. I’ll admit… It was frightening to see you impale her. I’m,” she swallows, “I’m glad you got away, though.”

“...You’re afraid of me.”

Lime says nothing. Your tendril tightens a bit with nerves and you’re a little worried your meal will come back up.

“Is it… normal?” you ask softly, trying to change the subject. “Normal for Terrans to turn on their allies so swiftly?”

“For some, yes,” Lime frowns and you release another tendril to gently rub her back in a comforting way. “Humans- well, Terrans- are very focused on self-preservation. If they- we- feel threatened, regardless of whether or not the threat is legitimate, we may lash out in an attempt to protect ourselves and the ones we consider ours. That’s the reason we left the others on Polus. White was trying to protect us from getting sick.” You growl a bit at the name. She pauses and sighs. “We’re the top predators on our planet because we’re adaptable. Sure, there are other predators that can easily harm us, but we developed weapons to kill them before they can kill us.”

“...Are you going to kill me because I killed Blue?”

“What…?” Lime sounds surprised. “No, I’m not. You’re my friend, Pink, and you’re hurting inside. I couldn’t bring myself to attack you, even if you were threatening me. The others will throw you out if they catch you, though.”

You consider her words for a few minutes before nodding. You retract your tendrils and Lime seems reluctant to let go of the one around her hand.

“...Thank you,” you whisper.

You slip back inside of the vent.

\---------------------------

Another week passes like this, with you frequently visiting Lime for food and company. Talking with her slowly but surely helps you begin to heal, and you’re grateful that she stayed by your side despite everything. It’s during one of your frequent sessions- Lime calls it “therapy”- that an emergency meeting is called. You recoil at the alarm and duck back into the vent. Lime assures you that she’ll be back shortly, so you wait.

And wait.

...And wait.

_Something is wrong._

Fear churns in your stomach and you move through the vents to the cafeteria to listen in.

“You’re a traitor,” Red snarls and you feel ice in your veins. “I heard you through the door. You’ve been buddying up with that monster!”

“Let go of me!” Lime shouts in response and it sounds like she’s struggling. Some of your tendrils begin to slip out, a vicious need to _protect_ clawing into your mind.

“N-no! What are you doing?!” she screams and you hear the airlock open. With a sound you didn’t know you were capable of making, you burst from the vent and charge.

You hear someone curse and then you’re on the floor, shrieking in pain as electricity shoots through you. By the time you manage to pull the thing hurting you out, Lime is fading into a speck in the distance and the remaining crewmates are surrounding you, each holding an object. Black is retracting the thin wire attached to theirs.

_Taser,_ your mind supplies, reminding you that Red bragged about securing some of these weapons for the crew early on in the trip. You hiss at the three humans around you, finding it difficult to move. Red and White come at you from the sides, remembering the tongue that so easily killed Blue and staying clear of your front.

_Don’t stand or struggle,_ something whispers inside, _save your energy. When they lift you, kill them._

You think it’s worth a try.

“Black, open the airlock,” says White from your left, hoisting you up by the arm. Black runs ahead to the control pad, opening the door, as the captain and Red drag you forward. Your breathing is labored, but your mind is focused. You bide your time, allowing your tongue to spring out and impale Black when you get close enough. Their body drops and you use one of your tendrils to push the body through the open door. You use the others to strike White and Red and shove them away, holding White by the ankles and Red by the neck. You grab their tasers and toss them into the airlock with the fresh body. They curse at you and try to break free from your grasp.

“You _fucking monster!_ ” Red shouts and you throw him against the floor as hard as you can. He makes a pained sound and just kind of lays there for a moment, stunned. White curses at you and struggles violently, but you whip him around and stun him as well. When that happens, you drag him closer, your torso opening wide.

You bite him in half and Red screams behind you. He throws his helmet at you in a poor attempt at an attack, and you slowly turn toward him, dripping with White’s blood.

“You think _I’m_ the monster?” You hiss, stalking toward Red, who tries to stand. You pierce his leg with your tongue and he falls back down. He curses and tries to scramble back.

“Maybe I _am_ a monster. But do you want to know something, Red?”

You pierce his other leg, dragging him closer by the ankles with your tendrils.

“ _You_ are the reason Brown is dead.”

You stab one of his arms.

“ _You_ are the one who killed Lime.”

You thrust the sharp end of your tongue through his other arm.

“ _You_ made me into this monster.”

Abruptly, you pick him up in your tendrils, securing him tightly and hauling him to the open airlock door. You shove him in and he spits in your face, unable to do anything else. Callously, you close the door and press the release button.

Without his helmet, you can see how quickly the merciless cold of space ices him over. It’s so fast, you don’t think he even has time to suffocate.

_Too bad. He should’ve suffered more._

\--------------------------

Your name is Pink and it’s been three days since you killed off the rest of the Kiln’s crew.

Two days ago, you sent out a distress signal.

Today, you sit holed up in comms, waiting.

You don’t expect to get a response, but one comes anyway.

“Skeld to Kiln, do you copy? Over.”

You numbly pick up the communication device and press the button.

“Kiln to Skeld, loud and clear. Over.”

“This is Captain Blue. What is your status? Over.”

“Pink to Blue. Everyone else is dead via aggressive impostor. They’ve been ejected.” You have the sudden urge to start crying, but you keep yourself together for now. “Requesting pickup, over.”

“Roger that. Prepare to board, over.”

“On it. Over and out.”

\------------------------------

The Skeld is identical to the Kiln, you note as you enter the cafeteria from the boarding zone. It’s also riddled with humans, including a Red and a White, and you have to fight yourself not to rip them apart where they stand. _They’re not the same ones,_ you need to remind yourself. There’s no Brown (as if anyone could replace them), but there is a Lime standing next to a Purple. You wonder if they’re as kind as your late friend.

You don’t want to get close to anyone, though. You’ve learned from your experiences.

You know that humans cannot be trusted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haaa, you thought I’d kill off one of the Skeld characters ;) Don’t worry, I wouldn’t make Purple and Lime suffer like that. Pink, though… Sorry, it had to be done.
> 
> Next chapter will probably take a few days because I'm taking an annual day-cation before my state goes into lockdown again.
> 
> So, has anyone else noticed that there’s bad rumors from both sides here? Impostors are usually non-aggressive in this, but there are a few who’ve gone rogue and decided to go on killing sprees, so humans only hear the bad news. Same for the known info surrounding humans- the impostors have only heard the negative. Fear tactics, I guess? (It’s kind of like looking at product reviews and trying to find that one bad review to convince yourself not to buy it, even if the product has a 4.6/5-star rating and 3k reviews....Weirdly specific example, sorry.)


	6. Paranoia and Protection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand now we’re back to Purple’s POV! Sorry this took so long, I was struggling a bit with it. It's over 4k words though! Leading with journal entries, since it’s been a few chapters since we had one.
> 
> And... over 1000 hits? I'm honored <3

_The Skeld has added another person to its roster. I will refer to her as Subject P. She is the only survivor of the ship known as the Kiln. Subject B1 called a meeting after she boarded and briefed us with his limited knowledge of the Kiln’s demise. Subject P_ _had_ _informed him, prior to setting foot on the Skeld, that an aggressive impostor (and isn’t that a strange thought) murdered her crew before being ejected. She had not gone into further detail, and Subject B1 sent her with Subject G and myself to medbay for_ _rest and_ _recovery._ _Subject P did not speak to us, but accepted the food, drink, and medicine we offered._

_Subject B1 has reinstated the “buddy system” rule. He is wary of Subject P, and I understand why. She is an unknown, a variable. When she is well enough to join us in tasks, he wants either Accomplice L or myself to be with her at all times until she proves she can be trusted. He believes that if she grows violent, we can non-lethally subdue her with our tendrils and call for backup. For this reason,_ _along with her recent experience,_ _Subject B1 will not allow Accomplice L or myself to reveal our identities to Subject P._

_I fully trust the captain’s judgment on this matter, and will follow his orders as closely as possible._

\--------------------------

It is the beginning of the third day since Pink joined your crew, and she is finally well enough to be allowed out of medbay. You are here to partner with her, show her around, and introduce her properly to the crewmates. (Captain Blue has suggested you stay with her for the first few days, in case she relapses and needs urgent medical attention.)

Pink is sitting on a bed, waiting, when you enter medbay.

“Hello,” you say, holding out a hand for her to shake in a proper human greeting. She does not accept it, so you awkwardly retract it and clear your throat. “I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Purple, and I am Green’s medical assistant. The captain would like for me to show you around.”

“Mhm,” she grunts, standing and stretching. You see a standard-issue tablet strapped to her belt. “I’m sure it looks the same as the Kiln.”

“Ah, yes, that is quite likely. Are you hungry?” you ask, “I can bring you to the kitchen first, if you’d like. It is not far.”

“...Sure.”

You nod and begin to lead her to the kitchen, attempting to make “small talk” with Pink. You learn a few details about her- she was “married” (a human term for one who has a bond-mate), and her spouse was the first victim on the Kiln. (You offer your condolences.) She tells you that she specializes in communications and you offer to introduce her to Cyan later, which she does not respond to. When you and Pink sit down in the cafeteria, meal packets in hand, she looks down at her tablet.

“Are you checking your tasks for today?” you ask. She glances slowly at you before returning her attention to the object.

“...Yeah.”

“I imagine there are fewer listed for you. The captain does not know your strengths yet, but I am certain that he will assign you tasks more suited to your skill set soon enough.”

“...Probably.”

You open your mouth to gently interrogate her more, but the lights go out.

_Strange,_ you think.

“We should try to fix the lights,” you suggest. With your superior vision, you have no problem seeing her across from you. “The crew will have a difficult time working if they cannot see.” Pink nods and stands, and the two of you begin the trek to electrical. When you pass admin, she turns and steps into the room.

“Pink!” you call, and she freezes. “That’s admin. Electrical is through storage.”

“...My mistake,” she mutters, following your voice back to you. She says nothing else the rest of the way, but you can feel her eyes boring into you.

\------------------------

You return to the cafeteria to finish your breakfast when the lights are back on. Pink still hasn’t spoken another word. When your meal packets are empty, you lead her to the trash shoot on the wall, and then make your way toward weapons to begin introductions. Thankfully, both Orange and Black are there.

“Hello,” you greet, and they return it. “This is Pink. Pink, this is Orange and Black. They’re our weapons experts.”

“I wouldn’t call Orange an _expert..._ ” Black teases, nudging her partner. Orange makes a sound of mock offense.

“Oh, Black, you _wound_ me!” He fakes a dramatic swoon and flops onto her. They fall to the floor and the three of you laugh. Pink remains silent.

“Anyway,” Black says with a smile, shoving Orange off of herself. “It’s nice to meet you, Pink. I hope we can become good friends.”

“’Good friends,’ she says,” Orange teases, elbowing Black playfully. His eyebrows are wiggling rapidly and she shoves her hand in his face, pushing him back and sputtering in embarrassment.

“Orange, it’s not like that!” she whines, “I don’t flirt two sentences into meeting someone! It’s inappropriate!”

You make a hasty excuse and leave them to their antics, bidding them farewell. Pink is thankfully beside you when you retreat, and you lead her to navigation next. White is inside, once again charting the course. You feel Pink go rigid next to you and hear her breathing speed up. You gently pull her aside, coming to a realization.

“...Was your White the one who killed your spouse?” you ask in a hushed tone.

“...Yes,” she admits after a moment, flexing her hands uneasily. “White and Red.” You nod in understanding, slowly reaching out for one of her hands. You pat it in a comforting way and release your grip when she begins to pull away.

“Then we can wait to introduce you to either of them, if it would make you feel better.”

“...Please.”

\-------------------------------

While the rest of the introductions (and daily tasks) go fairly smoothly, Pink doesn’t say much to anyone else. You catch her watching Lime with interest, though, whenever you cross paths. Lime seems similarly interested, but you are uncertain as to why. (You hope he tells you later.)

Pink declines joining the crew in the cafeteria for lunch and dinner, and you assume she is simply unwilling to be in such close proximity to White and Red. Instead, when meal times come, you bring her to the kitchen to let her take her pick, and sit with her in medbay. She is far from talkative, but you think (you hope) that she is warming up to you.

This continues for a few days, and Pink thankfully has no relapses or medical issues. The captain tells you one morning, on your way to retrieve the survivor, that he believes it is safe enough to begin swapping “guard duty” with Lime. Lime is excited to comply, eager to take over for the day. You take the opportunity to pair up with Yellow and a reluctant Red (since there is now an odd number of people on board). You are on your way to security when the reactor begins to fail.

Your party of three picks up the pace and successfully fixes the problem. Blue and Green arrive just as you finish, breathing heavily from their run over.

“Oh, you got it already? Good. Thanks,” the captain says.

“Of course,” Red responds, posture straight. “Does anyone else think it’s a bit unusual that something like this happened out of nowhere?”

“I agree,” you admit. Red ignores you and you frown. “The lights went out a few days ago, too. Is it possible that we are in need of repairs?”

“Maybe...” Yellow hums in thought. “Purple, could you find Lime and switch off with him? It might be good to have both engineers look into this.”

“Yes, of course,” you readily agree. Red bumps into you on their way across the hall, moving past Blue and Green. (You think it is on purpose- Red still does not like or trust you.)

“Well,” they begin, “if you need me, I’ll be in security. If someone is messing around, I’ll catch them.”

“You need a partner, Red,” Green reminds them, giving them a pointed look.

“I’ll be fine, _dad,_ ” Red rolls their eyes and Green huffs.

“If you _were_ my child, I’d ground you for that,” he grumbles. Red makes an offended noise.

“Green is right, Red,” Blue crosses his arms. “ _I’m_ the authority on this ship. I may not be able to ground you, but I _can_ put you on garbage duty for the next week.”

“Ugh,” Red groans and tilts their head back in annoyance. “ _Fine._ Yellow, stick with me, okay?”

“I mean, I planned on it until Lime got here,” Yellow says, walking after them. “I suppose I can just… tell him what to look for? Or maybe Purple can, since they’re going off to find him anyway.”

“I can do that,” you nod.

“Great!”

“Well, I suppose if that’s taken care of...” Blue begins, glancing at each of you. “Green, we can probably get back to checking those samples.”

“ _I_ can get back to checking those samples, Blue,” Green says pointedly as he and the captain begin to walk away. “You’re hopeless at it. I don’t need any more broken vials.”

\----------------------------

Lime finds nothing unusual with the equipment, leaving everyone confused and vaguely worried.

It is now dinner time, and you retrieve meal packets for yourself and Pink, but she is asleep when you arrive in medbay. Lime is waiting on one of the other beds and waves you over excitedly. You offer him the extra food and he gratefully accepts, smiling widely as you sit across from him.

“Purple!” Lime’s voice is quiet so as not to wake their guest, but his eyes are almost sparkling with joy. “Guess what!”

“What is it?” You tilt your head and Lime bounces slightly in his seat, fidgeting with his packet.

“It’s Pink,” he whispers, leaning in conspiratorially. “I think she might be my sister.”

“Your… sister?”

_I… was not aware that Lime had siblings? He never speaks of them. How many does he have? Is Pink from the same clutch, or a different one?_

“Yes! I don’t know for sure, but I think she is! I haven’t seen her in _years!_ ” He’s smiling brighter than any star in the endless void of space. It warms your core to see him so happy, but the news also sets your nerves alight.

_If she is his sister, then that means she is one of us. We do not kill our own,_ _and if her impostors were ejected…_ _The other Red and White_ _must not have been_ _… Oh, ancestors, is_ _**Pink** _ _the one who killed the Kiln’s crew?_

“Purple?” Lime sounds concerned (and a bit sad) now. “Is something wrong?”

“I… am happy that you may have found your sibling, Lime,” you begin slowly, wondering how to put this gently. “But… Be wary around her.” You lower your voice to a point where it is difficult to hear from more than a few inches away.

“Why…?”

“Because…” you choose your next words carefully, biting your lip. “...she is suffering from emotional trauma, and may make… poor decisions in regards to the crew around her.”

“But she… She wouldn’t hurt anyone… She’s always been very kind.”

“Just…” you swallow the guilt crawling up your throat, looking away. “Be careful, please. I do not want to see you get hurt due to… well-meaning but misplaced trust.”

“O-oh...” Lime mutters, hanging his head. Your guilt claws at you viciously for upsetting him. “I… n-need time to think. I’m… I’m going to sleep...” He stands and shuffles toward the door, leaving his meal packet untouched on the bed. “Good night, Purple...”

You sigh, grabbing his packet and your own uneaten one. You make your way toward the door a few minutes later and nearly run into Yellow, who begins to make a joke before seeing your expression. She frowns.

“What happened, Purple?” she asks.

“Ah, just a… disagreement with Lime,” you mutter. “Why is Red not with you?”

“If you say so...” Yellow reaches up to pat your shoulder, accepting the change of subject. “Red is still on cams. They wanted me to get something for us to eat. I think they plan on camping out there all night.” She shrugs and you offer up the uneaten meal packets.

“I do not have an appetite,” you supply, “so you are welcome to take these.”

“Oh, thanks.” Yellow gives you a smile, though it seems a bit forced. You think she is worried about you. You turn back toward medbay.

“Of course. Now, I believe I will sleep in here tonight. I do not want to keep you any long-” You pause and narrow your eyes before gasping and freezing in place.

Pink is no longer in her bed.

The vent is open.

“...Yellow, go alert the captain.” You begin, moving quickly into the room and raising your voice enough for her to still hear you. “I believe that Pink heard what we said and has gone after Red.”

“Wait, what?! How?! Why would she-”

“Because she is an impostor as well. Hurry!”

You don’t wait for a response, melting into the vent as O2 goes off.

\------------------------------

When you surface in security, you can hear Red coughing at the lack of breathable air. They are sitting on the floor, back against the wall. Pink is standing over them, inhaling shakily. Her posture is stiff, but you can see her tendrils peeling from her form.

“Red...” Pink begins, voice oddly distorted and sounding far away. “How are you here? I watched you freeze to death, yet you sit here before me...”

“What are you-” Red tries, but another cough and a tendril around their throat stops them. They grip at it and squirm, trying to pull it away.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Pink snarls. “You ruined my life, executed my bond-mate and my best friend for no reason… And you have the _gall_ to come back and haunt me after I _killed you!_ ” She lifts Red by the tendril around their throat and their struggles increase. “I’m going to make you _suffer_ this time.”

You jump into action, moving into range and allowing the sharp tip of your true tongue to thinly slice the tendril Pink is assaulting Red with. She shrieks and drops them, stepping back and turning her attention to you. Red gasps for air just as O2 is restored. You place yourself between them, facing the other impostor.

“Purple!” Pink hisses in surprise. “How did you get here? We left you on Polus with the other sick crewmates!” Her eyes narrow. “Why didn’t you tell Brown and I that you were one of us?” She shakes her head and grins, but it’s unsettling and distant. “It doesn’t matter. Now you can help me exterminate these humans… They’re too aggressive to be allowed to live.”

“Pink,” you begin, allowing your tendrils to fan out around you, ready to protect. Behind you, Red pulls themselves up on the security desk, wheezing. “They are _not_ the aggressors here!”

“Of course they are,” she sounds genuinely confused. “Why are you defending them? I know you’re naive, but they’re the _real_ monsters out here. I learned that the hard way. They’ll eject us the first chance they get.”

“I am _not_ your Purple. This is _not_ the same Red. They will _not_ eject us. You are _not_ on the Kiln! You are on the _Skeld_ , and no one here has done anything to harm you!”

“You’re too trusting,” she tuts, shaking her head and ignoring your words. Her own tendrils spread out, poised to strike. “I’d like to believe you, but… They’ll hurt us eventually, because that’s what they _do_. Humans _cannot_ be trusted.”

You do not get another chance to speak, as Pink begins to grapple you with her tendrils. She does not seem to be attacking you, but attempting to subdue you. You twist out of the way and try to deflect her, but it is difficult. She is in her prime, and you have yet to reach yours, so your strength is lesser. Your reflexes, though, are much better after the impromptu training session (and the several that followed) after your big reveal. You do what you can to focus on protecting Red, launching your tongue at any tendrils that target them. Pink’s movements become erratic and you can sense her growing frustration.

“ _Why,_ ” she cries out, voice cracking, “are you defending that human?!”

“Because,” you manage, thinly slicing another of her tendrils when it makes a grab for Red, “ _they_ haven’t done anything to earn your ire!”

“Of course he has! He ejected-”

“ _They_ did nothing to you!”

“But-”

“ _This is_ _ **not**_ _the same Red!”_

Pink stops and stares you down, breathing heavily as the words begin to sink in. You are crouching and hunching like a wild beast protecting its younglings, staring back at her.

“This is the _Skeld,_ Pink. _Not_ the Kiln _._ ” Your voice is even despite your panting. “The crew isn’t the same, even if their suit colors are. And,” you swallow, nervous, “your brother is on board. Lime.”

Pink inhales sharply, but says nothing.

“He is my study partner, and he is excited to reunite with you properly. But Pink,” you frown, “if you go around attacking the crewmates, they’ll eject you to protect themselves.”

“They’re going to do it anyway,” Pink manages, tone unreadable, but edging on quiet anger or possibly grief. Maybe both. “You and I have revealed ourselves in front of one of them, and you just put my brother in danger by outing him too. They’ll kill us all if we don’t kill them first.”

“They already know about Lime and I.”

“...W-what?!” Pink recoils in shock, curling in on herself in fear. “How are you still alive?!”

“Because they gave us a chance,” you say simply. “Most figured it out on their own and waited for us to tell them, but a few confronted us.” (You decide not to mention how Yellow almost killed you when she found out. You think it would be counterproductive.) “Humans, at least the ones on this ship, prefer honesty. They can be reasoned with.”

“Even if you’re right...” Pink’s tone is bitter as she looks away, tendrils withdrawing back into her. “I’ve already attacked one. They’re going to kill me for that.”

“You are _traumatized,_ Pink. Lime and I will plead with them to give you a second chance.”

“She needs therapy,” Red says from behind you. They sound odd; their voice isn’t laced with the usual annoyance or suspicion, but with pity and understanding. “When your people killed my sister’s crew, she needed it. It’s… normal. To talk things out with someone. When you’re upset.”

“You… would give me a chance, even after I tried to kill you?” Pink’s voice is small, full of hurt, hope, and desperation.

“I’m pissed at you for attacking me out of nowhere and I’m not ready to forgive you yet,” Red says quietly, “but I’m… willing to give you a chance. I’ve been an absolute _ass_ to Purple here, but they still tried to protect me from you. If they’re willing to be my ally when I treated them like an enemy… Well, you impostors can’t be all that bad.” They look away and awkwardly clear their throat. “Sorry I’ve been so rude to you, Purple.”

You are touched by Red’s words and reach for their hand, smiling and patting it gently.

“I forgive you, Red.”

You hear a series of footsteps approaching in the hallway. Pink shrinks in on herself and slinks further into the room, afraid. She takes cover behind you and you allow one of your tendrils to coil around her arm in comfort. Red can’t help but flinch when the other impostor gets closer, but they don’t move away. Lime, Yellow, and Blue are the first to arrive.

“Red!” cries Yellow, rushing toward her friend.

“Pink!” Lime’s voice cracks when he goes toward his sister.

“What’s going on here?” Blue demands. “What’s this about Pink being an impostor?” The rest of the crew skids to a halt behind him. (Orange trips and almost knocks Black over, but Green catches him before he can. Cyan falls over, though.) You step toward the captain, withdrawing your tendril and leaving Lime to soothe Pink. Blue looks on in confusion (and a bit of distress).

“They are siblings,” you say.

“That doesn’t explain what happened _before_ we got here.”

“Well, you see-”

“I attacked Red,” Pink cuts in, voice dull. Blue turns his attention to her, gaze sharp.

“You’d better have a good explanation for that.”

“She-”

“Quiet, Purple. I want to hear it from _Pink._ ”

You lower your head in submission and close your mouth. Pink brushes a tendril against you and looks at the captain.

“Trauma,” she says quietly, gripping Lime’s arm tightly. “The Red from the Kiln left a very… _bad_ impression.”

“Be that as it may,” Blue sighs, “You can’t just… _attack_ people. We have to do something about this.”

“P-please don’t kill my sister, Blue,” Lime whimpers, pulling Pink as close as he can.

“I second that,” Red adds in, extracting themselves from Yellow’s worried grasp and stepping in front of the siblings. Everyone looks surprised by this, especially Lime and Yellow. “She needs therapy, not rejection. Not execution.”

Blue opens his mouth to say something, but White steps forward and places a hand on his arm to quiet him. She offers a kind smile.

“I think it’s very admirable of you, Red, to forgive someone who attacked you.” She looks to Pink. “I’m qualified to be your therapist, if you’ll have me, dear.”

Pink tenses and watches her.

“...Could you take off your helmet?” she requests, hesitant. “The Kiln’s White left a bad impression too...”

“Of course, dear.” White removes her helmet, and Pink immediately relaxes when the face beneath is different from what she expected. “I’ll keep it off during sessions if it makes you feel better.”

“...Thank you.” Pink melts against her brother, and you go to join their comfort puddle, crouching and offering soothing touches with your tendrils.

“We should vote,” someone suggests. (You think it may have been Green, but you are too distracted to be certain.) You hold the siblings closer when they grow tense. Pink hides her face.

_She is afraid of what the results will be._

“Agreed,” says Blue. “All in favor of ejecting Pink, raise your hand.”

Pink whimpers and you rub her back gently, unable to look up at the crew.

_I am afraid of the results as well. I do not want Lime to be hurt, and Pink needs help._

“All in favor of giving Pink a chance, as long as she goes through therapy?”

You swallow nervously and raise one of your tendrils, hands occupied with comforting your fellow impostors.

_Here goes nothing, I suppose._

You look up.

You nudge Pink lightly.

“Look,” you whisper, warmth blooming inside of you. She peers up at the crew.

Every hand is raised.

“Then it’s settled,” announces Blue with a smile. “Pink, I’d like to formally welcome you to the Skeld’s crew.”

Pink begins to cry.

\---------------------------

_Some humans are vicious creatures, full of hat_ _red_ _and aggression, and those are the ones who cannot be trusted. A good example of this would be the late Subjects R and W of the Kiln._ _Subject P, or rather, Accomplice P, admitted to me that they are the reason her bond-mate has passed. In her grief, she ended their lives prior to boarding the Skeld._

_Accomplice P attempted to execute Subject R shortly before this entry was written. I defended Subject R and talked Accomplice P down. The situation ended with minimal bloodshed, and Subject R, while typically rude to myself and Accomplice L_ _(as our people have hurt them in the past)_ _, offered Accomplice P an alternative to ejection and subsequent death._ _(They also offered me an apology for their behavior toward me, which I accepted.) When the rest of the crew arrived, the situation was explained, and the crew voted to allow Accomplice P to heal in the form of “therapy” (talking about problems in a safe, non-judgmental setting) rather than execute her._

_A_ _ccomplice P’s_ _actions on the Kiln prove that we are not as different as we claim to be. We are equally as capable of hatred and aggression as humans, and they are just as capable of peace and reasoning as we are._ _The humans I am grouped with are incredibly trustworthy, though I cannot say the same for the ones outside of the Skeld._

_They give me hope for the future. If we cannot be truly at peace with humanity_ _as a whole_ _, perhaps we can co-exist comfortably_ _with the friendly ones, as I am doing now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooof. I’m not sure how I feel about this chapter, honestly. I think it started decently, up until the section with the reactor. Just felt kinda off from there. Probably because I was tired and unmotivated. Like I said at the beginning, I kinda struggled with this one.
> 
> Pink didn’t realize that Lime was her brother until Purple said something, since she’s been pretty out of it since boarding the Skeld, and they didn’t get a lot of one-on-one time when Lime was assigned guard duty, since he got pulled away to check things fairly quickly.
> 
> Next chapter should be fun and fluff after all the tension and angst of the last few, but I don’t know when it will be up. Thanks for reading!
> 
> (Also. You guys have no idea how many times I almost typed “cuddle puddle” instead of “comfort puddle” toward the end there fjkfjdkjfk)


	7. Presume and Ponder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Work has been horribly busy (I work in retail) despite the second lockdown, so I’ve been trying to de-stress and chill. But... Here’s hoping you all enjoy this! Lots of fluff to be found here, to make up for the angst and hurt from the last few chapters. (But also a lil bit of sad in in a few parts.) And a tiny smidge of biology for my impostors.

“All right, everyone,” Captain Blue announces the next morning, “we’re just under two weeks away from Polus. When we get there, we’ll be checking up on things, refueling, and loading up supplies before heading back out for whatever MIRA needs us to do next. Any questions?”

You shake your head from your spot on Pink’s left, and Lime does the same from her right. Pink has a thoughtful, though somewhat worried, look on her face, and Blue takes notice.

“Do you have any questions or concerns, Pink? You’re part of the crew now, so you’re free to ask.”

“Are...” she shifts awkwardly and clears her throat. “Are we… picking anyone up while we’re there?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Blue tilts his head and raises an eyebrow. “There shouldn’t be anyone- ah, wait, that’s where the Kiln was leaving from, wasn’t it?” He hums in thought. “Is part of your crew- er- _former_ crew still there?”

“...Yes,” she mutters, “Three of them fell ill within a few days of leaving, so we turned around and dropped them off.” Pink is frowning and seems to be leaning closer to Lime for comfort. You lightly pat her hand before she continues. “Do you think they’re okay? By the time we get there, they’ll have been alone for over a month...”

“Rest assured that we won’t turn them away if they want to board with us.”

“...Thank you, Captain.”

“Of course. Does anyone else have questions?”

“I do!” Yellow shouts from across the table. You’re only just noticing that she looks annoyed and seems to be holding something underneath the table. Before Blue can ask what her problem is, Yellow gets to her feet and sets Stabby Jr. down in front of everyone (much to Pink’s confusion). The bot is beeping pathetically, like a youngling who is unwilling to attend their daily educational lessons, and Yellow is petting it consolingly.

“ _Someone,_ ” her hiss is enough to put the angriest of your people to shame, “put a cap on Stabby Jr.’s pen! And I want to know _who did it!_ ” Yellow looks directly at Cyan as she says this, and they sputter indignantly.

“I didn’t do it!” they squeak out, holding up their hands. “Me and him made peace when we all got shitfaced at that party a bit ago!”

“I can vouch for them,” you pipe up. “Cyan was rubbing their face against the robot adoringly. There were ink scribbles on their cheek. It was both disarming and… cute, I think is the correct word.”

“ _Thank_ you!”

(The grin Cyan gives you is bright. You like it.)

“But...” Yellow huffs and crosses her arms, uncapping the pen. The robot beeps in delight and nuzzles her hand.(You are still immensely confused by this, as the machine has not achieved sentience, as far as you’re aware.) “But if Cyan didn’t do it… Then who did?” She drops back into her seat and narrows her eyes at Cyan. “Let me be clear, though- you’re still a suspect!”

“ _I didn’t do it!”_

“I’m afraid that was me, dear. My apologies.” White offers an awkward smile and Yellow gives her a betrayed look.

“Whyyy would you do that?” she pouts. The older woman chuckles.

“For Pink’s sake. She’s been through enough, and she doesn’t need to add any ankle injuries to that.”

“Fiiiine, I see your point,” Yellow sticks out her tongue and blows lightly (which makes a strange sound) before resting her head on her arms. “Stabby Jr., please be nice to Pink.”

The robot beeps and spins around before charging at Cyan, as usual. The meeting ends, and you and Lime walk Pink to medbay for her first therapy session, White in tow. Pink seems confused and concerned.

“...Why did that cleaning robot have a pen taped to it?” she quietly asks. You rub the back of your neck sheepishly.

“It is a… human tradition,” you explain.

“But… _Stabby?_ What kind of name is that?”

“...It used to have a knife.”

“Ohhh.” Pink nods in understanding.

White laughs.

\-------------------------

Your party of four settles comfortably in medbay, with White in a swivel chair and the rest of you piled onto one of the beds. The way it had been explained to you, a typical therapy session would be between the therapist (White) and the patient (Pink). Exceptions have been made in this case, however, as Pink is still a variable. The captain thinks it would be best to have you and Lime sit in for the first few sessions, as both body guards and moral support, before returning to one-on-one guard duty until Pink makes significant progress.

Across from you, White clears her throat, helmet off.

“I would like to preface this by encouraging Purple and Lime not to speak about any of this, outside of therapy, without Pink’s consent. It’s something we call ‘patient confidentiality’ and we take it _very_ seriously. Should you break this important rule, I’ll see to it that you are no longer welcome to sit in on sessions, and that the captain will assign you garbage and fuel duty for the next several weeks. Do you understand?”

“Yes, White,” you and Lime echo each other, taking the older woman’s threat seriously. Pink seems concerned, but White smiles kindly.

“Good. Now… Pink. You are very brave for trusting me with your sessions, and I’m proud of you for it. If you feel the need to interrupt me at any time, please do so. You are here to heal, and I want to make you as comfortable as possible.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Of course, dear. Have you ever seen a counselor before?”

“Um… Kind of?” Pink shifts nervously and presses close to her brother. “My best friend from the Kiln, Lime. She helped me through my pain after Brown-” she chokes a little and shakes her head, “-she talked me through it when I would hide out with her in medbay.” She looks down. “I miss her.”

“How long did she help you for?”

“A-about a week. It started two days after...” Pink shakes her head again and sniffles, leaning heavily on her brother. “Then there was a meeting and Red called her a traitor, and-” she stops herself again and you rub circles into her back softly. She grips your free hand. “Sorry,” she mutters hoarsely.

“No need to apologize, dear. You’re doing very well. Healing takes time, and I’m not going to pressure you into saying everything at once. Would you like me to ask a different question?”

“P-please.”

“Very well. What are you feeling, in this moment?”

“Nervous,” is Pink’s immediate response. “Frightened. Apprehensive. Safe, kind of.” She glances between you and Lime before continuing. “Wary. Sad.”

“Let’s dig a little deeper,” White says, “I won’t ask you to go into detail, but I would like to know what you felt during the… _events_ on the Kiln. You don’t need to answer if it’s too much.”

“W-well, I… I’ll try.” Pink fidgets, tendrils unfurling and curling up at the ends. “Before it all… h-happened… I was happy. At peace. In love. When the bad things happened, I-I was terrified, worried, anguished… When I made my first kill… I felt empty. Numb. T-then I was afraid again when I realized what I’d done.” Pink pauses and looks up at White, who offers an encouraging smile.

“You’re still doing well. Tell me if you need a break.”

“Thanks.” Pink draws in a slow breath then exhales. You can feel some of the tension leave her and she twines her tendrils around you and Lime. “I felt relief and safety when my friend accepted me. More anguish when she was… A-and when I killed the rest I felt… Angry. Justified.” She breathes deeply again. “I was numb again after that. Empty. Until last night, when I felt… haunted. Furious. Afraid. I wanted revenge on Red, but it took Purple knocking some sense into me in that passive way of theirs to bring me back.” Pink gives you a weak smile and you wrap an arm around her, clicking softly in a way meant to calm younglings.

“I’m… grateful. To Purple. To all of you. For giving me a chance.”

\---------------------------------

Pink’s therapy session lasts for about an hour, and you leave her with Lime when you go to complete your daily tasks. You find yourself deep in thought as you walk. Pink had spoken about her bond-mate, Brown, a few times, and it left you wondering how they chose each other. Your guess is companionship, though you have nothing to base it on since you never met Brown. It also brings the question of how _humans_ choose their mates.

_Is it companionship for them as well? Or perhaps strong young?_ _Something else entirely?_

You decide that you’ll ask someone when you get the chance.

Luckily for you, that chance comes when you pass weapons on your way to O2 to clear the filter. Black and Orange are chatting with Yellow (who seems to be in a much better mood) in front of the window. They wave you over when they see you.

“Purple, come here!”

You heed Yellow’s call and walk to the small party.

“How did Pink’s session go?” Black asks.

“I cannot speak of it in detail without her permission,” you tell her, giving her an apologetic look, “but I believe that she is making progress.” (You hope that’s vague enough for White not to get upset at your possible rule-breaking.)

“Progress is good,” Black is smiling and she pats the spot next to her on the bench in front of the window. You sit beside her and tilt your head a bit, seeing that Yellow and Orange are sitting unusually close together.

“...Did I interrupt something?” you ask quietly, concerned. “The last time I saw you two that close to each other, it ended up with most of the crew passing out drunk.” You narrow your eyes a little. “Are you plotting something again?”

Yellow and Orange laugh hard at this, while Black simply snickers softly. You remain suspicious and distressingly curious.

“Kinda, yeah.” Orange has a big grin on his face. (His cheeks seem more colorful than usual and you wonder if he’s sick. You hope not.) “Just a movie night for everyone. But that’s not why we’re sitting together.”

“Orange and I are gonna try dating,” explains Yellow, smiling just as widely. You say nothing for a moment, head cocked like one of those “dogs” Cyan sometimes shows you pictures of.

“...What is dating?” you eventually ask, confusion evident in your tone. The three of them exchange a look.

“How do I put this… Uh.” Black hums. “Think of it as… the first step in the human mating ritual?” She makes a face. “Ugh, that felt _so weird_ to say.”

“Ohhh.” You nod in understanding as Yellow and Orange dissolve into laughter again. Black seems embarrassed and you pat her arm lightly. “That… is actually something I wanted to ask you all about,” you admit.

“Oooh, do you have a crush on someone, Purple?” Yellow’s toothy grin is so large, it could easily rival the mouth on your torso. She leans toward you in excitement and whispers conspiratorially, “Is it Cyan?”

“...I do not know what a ‘crush’ is? And what does this have to do with Cyan?”

“It’s when you like someone as more than a friend,” Orange tries to explain, gesturing with one of his hands. “But like… Hmm. More than a friend, but not like family… And you think about them a bunch. Uhh. I dunno how to explain it. Never thought I’d have to teach an alien how humans fall in love...” He shrugs helplessly.

You think you get it. Maybe.

Possibly.

“What does this have to do with Cyan, though?” you repeat.

“Well, you’re always hanging out with them whenever you’re not with me or Lime and Pink,” Yellow says, “We’ve been, uh… gossiping about it. Heh.” She clears her throat and seems simultaneously embarrassed and excited. “Sooo… Do you like Cyan? As more than a friend?”

Oh.

Ohhh.

“Um,” you are taken aback by this question and you think for a moment. “I _do_ like Cyan as a friend,” you begin carefully. “That may change when I hit my prime. My people do not seek out bond-mates, nor are we particularly interested in such, until prime.”

“...So is your prime like. Alien puberty? Are you a teenager?”

“Orange, you have absolutely _no_ tact.” Black shakes her head, a hand on the face of her helmet. Yellow is snickering.

“I am an adult,” you say simply. “I am fully grown, but the instincts demanding reproduction and the seeking of a bond-mate will not influence me for a while yet. I have lived for...” you think for a moment, recalling what little you know about Terran time, “...22 of your earth years, I believe. We typically hit our prime between the human ages of 23 and 25, when we become interested in potential partners. Our physical strength also increases at that time. It is rare, but not unheard of, to reach it early, however.”

“...Alien puberty, got it.”

“Orange!”

“...I suppose you could call it that, yes,” you relent. “If you are curious, Lime is younger than myself. He is 18 in human years, though he is also an adult. And Pink is,” you pause and Black perks up a little, “...I am not certain, actually.” You rub the back of your neck. “She is in her prime, though. That much is clear to me.”

“...So do you guys mate for life, or...”

“No tact, Orange. _No tact,”_ Black groans and Yellow has her face buried in Orange’s shoulder, muffling her laughter.

“I was just trying to help you!”

You smile awkwardly at the bickeringand ignore Orange’s outburst, choosing to answer his question instead.

“Some of us do. Why do you ask?” You tilt your head again.

“Because Black thinks Pink is cuuuute!” Yellow teases. Black lets out a whine and hides against your shoulder, embarrassed. Surprised, you pat her upper back.

“Um,” you begin, “I do not want to judge you but… Does it not bother you that she has slain several humans, and attempted to kill one of our crewmates?” Black doesn’t answer, but Yellow does. Orange is snickering against her.

“That’s because she likes her ladies _dangerous_ ,” Yellow purrs. Her toothy grin is merciless and she looks far too amused. You think you should feel intimidated (and you somewhat do), but you’re a bit preoccupied by sympathizing with Black. “She likes Red, too.”

“Why do I tell you these things. You’re a _horrible gossip._ ”

“But Black, it’s educational! For Purple!”

“I don’t see how _my_ crushes are any of their business! I told you that in confidence!”

“Well, they should learn, since Cyan likes them.”

“ _Orange!_ ”

“...Cyan wants to try this ‘dating’ thing with me?” You find yourself genuinely surprised by this knowledge. What’s _more_ surprising is that the idea fills you with warmth. You’re fairly certain you’re smiling, and you aren’t entirely sure why.

_Do I simply find it flattering,_ you wonder, _or is my prime coming early? Perhaps humans release a pheromone that speeds up certain factors of our biology? Or is it simply because thei_ _r species is_ _so open about this_ _topic_ _?_ _It is also possible that humans are just much more influential than expected, and spread their i_ _deas_ _like a virus… It is difficult to determine._ _R_ _egardless_ _, I believe I should l_ _ook for_ _Cyan._

“Purple? You okay?” You blink several times as Black’s waving hand brings you out of your thoughts. “Good job, you two, I think you broke them.”

“No, I… am fine.” You move to stand up. “I am going to speak with Cyan.”

“Don’t tell them I told you!” Orange squeaks in alarm, eyes widening. “Please!”

“Woo! Go get ‘em!” Yellow cheers.

“Sorry about them, Purple,” Black offers a strained smile, waving you away. “Good luck.”

“Thank you,” you return her smile, though yours is nervous.

_Here goes nothing._

\------------------------------

Cyan is in comms, as usual. From your place in the doorway, you can see that their back is turned to you. You take the opportunity to simply observe them.

They are rhythmically wiggling in their seat, hunched over their drawing pad. They have headphones on, but it’s a different type from the ones they were wearing when they picked up the Kiln’s distress signal. Cyan alternates between humming, whistling, and quietly singing, depending on how intensely they’re focused on parts of their art. Remembering how startled they were the last time you popped in on them unannounced, you wait until they’re tapping their pencil against their chin before making your presence known.

“Oh, Purple! Hey.” They grin up at you and gesture to the extra chair that had been brought in for you a few days ago, pulling their headphones off. They press a button on the small rectangular device connected to them and focus their attention on you.

“Hello, Cyan.” You smile and place your hand on the reader, closing the door, before taking the offered seat. (The open page of their drawing pad is covered in beautifully sketched flowers.)

“What brings you all the way over here?”

“I had to clear the O2 filter and got caught up in a chat with Black, Yellow, and Orange in weapons. I wanted to visit you, as well.”

“I’m flattered,” Cyan’s smile is blinding. (Your core flutters. You’ve never seen them look so happy and it makes you feel good inside.) “Are they plotting anything? That party they threw last time was a lot of fun.”

“A movie night, apparently. I do not know what that means, but I am eager to learn more of your species’ traditions.”

“A movie night? Sweet!” Cyan claps their hands together and jumps into an explanation. “Movies are pre-recorded videos with an ongoing storyline. They’re usually a couple of hours long each. There’s a bunch of different genres, too, like horror, comedy, and romance. We watch them for entertainment. People usually eat snacks while watching, and it’s a popular activity for,” they briefly pause and smile a bit shyly, “people who are dating.”

_Oh, ancestors. Cyan has such a nice smile. It makes me want to form a comfort puddle with them. Just them._

Cyan clears their throat awkwardly.

“B-but! People go as friends a lot, too. And movies are so deeply rooted in our culture that they’ll probably help you learn more about us.”

“I will keep that in mind,” you nod. “What is your favorite genre?”

“Romance, definitely. But a lot of them are pretty predictable, so it can be disappointing sometimes. I’m not a fan of horror, though. I’m kind of a coward.”

“I am certain that I will understand the appeal soon enough.” You smile at them and they return it. You hum softly in thought.

“Something on your mind?”

“Ah, yes, actually.”

You suffer through a quick mental struggle as to whether or not you should ask if the others were right. Cyan waits patiently for you to respond, taking a small portable speaker from the pouch on their belt. They scroll through the small rectangular device containing their music collection while you gather yourself.

“I have heard… rumors,” you begin, fidgeting a little. “Well, one rumor. From a pair of, quote, ‘horrible gossips,’ though I have been asked not to name them. As you are involved in this rumor, I would like to hear your side of it.”

“Well, spit it out, Purple,” Cyan chuckles a little, but you notice that they’ve started fidgeting as well.

“One of my… recent conversational partners has informed me that you have a ‘crush’ on me, and I would like to talk about it if you are open to it.”

There’s a long pause. Cyan seems embarrassed and their fidgeting increases. You rub their arm gently with one of your tendrils in an attempt at comfort, but it only seems to cause them further embarrassment. They don’t try to push you away, however, so you take it as a good sign. Soon enough, they huff out a sigh and absently twirl the end of your tendril between their fingers.

“Man, I _knew_ I shouldn’t have told Orange anything...” Cyan hangs their head for a few seconds before looking back at you. “I… Yeah. I like you. More than I expected to.”

“Expected?”

“Yeah, I uh. Didn’t expect to start crushing on _anyone_ here. I’m demiromantic, so it takes a _lot_ for me to become interested in someone as more than just a friend. But then I met you, and you’re just so sweet, considerate, genuine, and welcoming that I just… Started to like you. A lot.” Cyan’s head dips again, their gaze directed at their hands and your tendril. They radiate nervous energy and you believe they’re afraid of rejection. You feel kind of guilty.

“I am flattered,” you mutter. Cyan shrinks in on themselves a bit and their hands squeeze your tendril. Their grip hurts you less than their body language. “I am currently biologically incapable of reciprocating, though I thoroughly enjoy spending time with you. And… I do not know if it helps any, but… You will be the first person I approach when my prime demands I seek a bond-mate.”

Cyan glances up at you questioningly.

“Prime is… as Orange so eloquently described it, ‘alien puberty.’ Though I _am_ already an adult.”

Their mouth forms an O-shape and they look back down, thumbs gently stroking over the end of your tendril in an attempt to soothe themselves.

“I would like to try this ‘dating’ thing with you in the future,” you offer and they perk up a little. “I warn you that it could take anywhere from a few days to a few years before I reach my prime. Of course, between how often I think of you lately and how frequently I feel the urge to spend time with you, I believe it will come sooner rather than later.”

There’s another awkward silence and it stretches on for a few minutes.

Eventually, Cyan smiles at you, though it’s a bit weaker than before. Not as bright.

Something in you cracks a little.

_I want to see the sparkle in their eyes and the joy on their lips again._

“...I’ll wait for you,” they say with quiet determination. “Crushes are few and far between for me, so I’ll pine for you as long as I need to. We can… talk more about this when you’re ready, okay?”

“I would like that,” you respond, smiling gently. Cyan looks like they need a bit more comfort, so you spread your arms in invitation. After a brief hesitation, they hug onto you tightly and you rest your heads on each other’s shoulders.

You stay like that for several minutes, Cyan nuzzling your neck, before they break the silence.

“...Hey, Purple?”

“Yes?”

“What’s your real name?”

“Pardon?”

You pull away enough to look at each other, and you tilt your head.

“I mean, unless Purple _is_ your actual name? But… for me, ‘Cyan’ is just the codename I was assigned for this mission. I have a real name, too, given to me by my parents.”

“Oh.” You blink a few times and nod in understanding. “No, ‘Purple’ is my codename. The name I was given as a youngling is Andar.”

“Andar...” Cyan presses their face into your neck again with a relaxed sigh. “I like that. My name is Jude.”

“That has a nice ring to it,” you murmur, nuzzling your potential future bond-mate in return.

You spend the next hour together, simply talking and listening to music. You are relieved that Cyan- Jude- isn’t angry with you, and whatever cracked in you feels as if it has been taped up. It’s not perfect, but it helps, and that’s what matters.

\----------------------------

_Accomplice P’s recovery is going well, and it sounds as if we may be meeting displaced members of her former crew when we reach Polus in a couple of weeks._

_In other news, Subject O and Subject Y are planning a “movie night,” which is apparently a popular activity for their species. They are also “dating” now. It is a term humans use to describe an early step in their mating ritual. T_ _hey also_ _described to me_ _that_ _a “crush” is a step that comes even before “dating” and_ _Subjects O, Y, and B2,_ _have implied that_ _Subject C would like to “date” me. When questioned about this, Subject C reluctantly confirmed the rumor and expressed regret in informing Subject O of this information._

_Subject C has a lovely smile and I find myself thinking of them more and more frequently as of late. I have reason to believe this is partially due to my prime coming early, and I have agreed to “date” them when it hits._ _As it is,_ _I enjoy their company and spend a significant amount of time with them. For this reason, and_ _from what Subjects O and Y have implied, humans choose their mates based on companionship and compatible personalities._

_I am, admittedly, nervous about all of this. I understand that our species is capable of falling in love, and reproducing, with any known sentient species due to our shapeshifting abilities, but that is not what worries me. It would be far too dangerous for me to live with Subject C on their planet_ _once the Skeld’s mission is complete_ _, and I would feel incredibly guilty if I requested they come back to our planet to live with me._

Your penmanship wavers and the words become a bit messier. You feel awful even _thinking_ of potentially upsetting Jude. You can’t tell if it’s because you care too much, or if it’s your incoming prime fearing a bond-mate’s rejection. You keep writing, but you think you may be crying a little.

_I know that our people would welcome peaceful humans with open arms, but what about_ ~~ _Jude’s_~~ ~~_Cyan’s_~~ _Subject C’s_ _life back on Earth? I couldn’t take them away from that._

You stop writing for a few minutes, holding the pen in your trembling hand as you take in shaky breaths. You lay the pen down on the page and flip back to the beginning of your notes, from before you got to know these humans as well as you do now. One of the comments makes you smile a little.

_“_ _Side Note: Upon receiving the injury, Subject C cried out ‘fuck.’ I believe it may either be an expletive or a mating call. Context points to expletive, though I cannot be certain with Terrans._ _”_

You remove the pen from the later pages and scribble in a note beneath this early entry, finally starting to calm down .

_Day XX: “Fuck” is indeed an expletive, though it worked well enough on me as a mating call._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to my friend for suggesting someone cap Stabby Jr’s pen. And credit to [PsycheCentral](https://psychcentral.com/blog/10-introductory-questions-therapists-commonly-ask/) for giving me a base for what questions White could ask.
> 
> Also, I SWEAR I didn’t intend for there to be ships in this (aside from the Skeld and Kiln *finger guns*). But then it just kinda happened here. I’ll try not to put too much emphasis on it in future chapters, but I enjoy writing romantic fluff, and I DID promise fluff this chapter… So uh. Sorry if it came off as weird or forced. At least Purple learned a bit more about some of humanity’s behaviors. (And if anyone is wondering, the first song Purple and Cyan listened to together after their talk was 1234 by Plain White T’s.)
> 
> Good news! I’ve finally come up with names, heights, and romantic/sexual preferences for everyone, yaaay :D They’ll be posted in a separate story that should be up soon. Be on the lookout for “Where All The Satellites Are Mine,” which will have some character references (written) and side stories (mostly of things that didn’t fit here, or things that I didn’t think of until later).


	8. Pictures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s movie night! (Beware of Harry Potter spoilers, if you’ve never read/watched the series, because that’s what they decided to marathon.) Originally, this was part of the last chapter, but it got a bit too long, so I decided to put this as its own. Trying to figure out what to write for this was tough and took me… An embarrassingly long time to do. Sorry about that, heh. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

It takes approximately three days before Yellow and Orange are able to secure the necessary supplies for a movie night. You aren’t entirely sure how they managed to find a projector and food _not_ in meal packets, but you aren’t complaining. You think sampling proper human cuisine would be beneficial to your mission, despite this food being a simple snack. (Jude had been utterly shocked when they found out you had never eaten popcorn and they promptly brought it to Yellow and Orange’s attention. Naturally, they spread word to the rest of the crew. It was then unanimously agreed that you and your fellow impostors get the first handfuls of this apparently beloved snackfood.)

When your tasks are done, you walk into the cafeteria. Yellow and Orange are in the back, setting up a makeshift screen from a spare flat sheet. They seem to be having a minor disagreement.

“Matt, babe, we should _really_ ask one of our alien friends for help with this.”

“But Erin, I’m _so close_ to getting it! I just need a little bit more height...”

“They have tentacles. They can literally touch the ceiling without breaking a sweat.”

“Oh, my sweet Erin, have you no faith in me?” Orange presses the back of his hand to his forehead in a dramatic feint and heaves out a sigh. “Oh! I know, maybe if you get on my shoulders-”

“ _Please._ You can barely lift a matchstick, how would you pick _me_ up?” Yellow sounds amused. “I think it would work better, if you’re so opposed to asking for help, if _I_ were to pick _you_ up.”

“But you’re like. Tiny. _Super_ tiny. I’m a foot and a half taller than you.”

“Yeah, but I’m aaallllll muscle, Matty-kins. I bet I could bench-press you!” Yellow cracks her knuckles and crouches like she’s about to tackle Orange. He braces for it and laughs when she scoops him up easily, holding him over her head sideways. Yellow woops, successful.

Both of them tumble to the floor in surprise when they finally notice you, the sheet draping over them. Awkwardly, you clear your throat.

“Am I… interrupting something?”

“No, you’re fine, Purple!” Orange says cheerfully, a hand reaching out from under the sheet to pull it away.

“How much of that did you see?” Yellow asks, doing the same. When they’re finally uncovered, you notice they seem a bit flustered.

“Um. I’ve been here since you suggested asking me for help.”

“Well, shit.” You are a bit unnerved when they speak the same words, perfectly synced.

_Do… humans have elements of hive-mind…?_

You decide not to ask, fearing the answer.

“Do you… need my assistance with anything?” You offer. “My tasks are complete, and I would be happy to help.”

“Yeah!” Yellow grins at you and nods. “You can-”

“I can get the sheet up myself, I just know it!” Orange cuts in. Yellow rolls her eyes and her expression softens the tiniest bit.

“Okay, okay, _fine,_ you win, Mr. Macho Man,” she shoves him lightly, playfully, and turns her attention back to you. “But yeah, Purple, if you could check storage for extra bedding, that would be awesome.”

“Extra bedding…?” You tilt your head.

“Well, yeah! We can all have a big sleepover in the cafeteria. It’s a… human tradition, you could say.” Yellow winks.

“I… will trust your judgment on this. How much extra bedding am I to search for?”

“As much as you can carry!” Orange says over his shoulder. His back is turned to you as he once again attempts to put up the sheet (with less than satisfying results).

You stand there for a few seconds before Yellow dismisses you with a quick “thanks.”

You lift your hand in a wave and depart to storage.

\----------------------

Your quest for spare bedding turns out to be a fruitless endeavor. Storage is simply too large for you to dig through on your own, and you decide to enlist someone’s (or several someones, should the opportunity arise) help. Unfortunately, you don’t know _who_ to ask. You lean back against a stack of crates with a sigh and take a moment to think.

Yellow and Orange are off-limits, too busy with prep to help you out. Plus, they’re the ones who sent you off in the first place, so asking them would be pointless. White is busy with Pink’s session, and Lime is with them, so they can’t help either. You don’t want to pester Blue, with how close the Skeld is getting to Polus. You’re certain that Jude would be happy to help, but you don’t want to bother them, either, since they seemed heavily invested in another of their drawings when you last saw them. You suppose you could ask Green, but you’re not sure where he could be. (If you think about it a bit more, you believe he may be with the captain, since the two of them seem close.)

That just leaves Black and Red.

The _two people_ that are on _opposite ends_ of the ship.

You hang your head in defeat, slumping a bit as you resign yourself to additional footwork. As you move to take a step, you pause and glance toward admin.

_Using the vents would be a nice shortcut_ , you think.

\----------------------

You take the vent from admin into the hallway near nav and run up to weapons.

Black is more than happy to help, and you ask her to wait in storage while you try to track down Red.

You go back to the vent in the hall.

\----------------------

From admin, you move into storage, then electrical, and hop into the vent.

Once inside, you think better of popping up into security, instead choosing to stay inside and call for Red. You hear them cry out in surprise before whipping around and glaring at you.

“Purple, what the _fuck._ ”

“Um. My apologies for startling you.” You shift awkwardly, peering out from the vent without lifting the grate. “I require assistance in storage. Yellow and Orange have tasked me with seeking spare bedding for movie night, and there are… a lot of crates. Black is already waiting.”

“...Is there a _reason_ you crawled through the vents instead of, I don’t know, _walking_ over here?”

“Using the vents cut out a significant amount of footwork for me. Moving from storage to weapons while passing comms, and then passing them again, as well as electrical and the lower engine, to come here would have taken a long time.”

“...Couldn’t you have just gone through the cafeteria?”

“...I suppose so,” you rub the back of your neck a little, embarrassed. “I did not want to interrupt Yellow and Orange again, though, since I had already been dismissed.”

Red groans and removes their helmet to rub at their temples before giving you another dirty look, though it seems less intense than their earlier glare.

“How the _fuck_ did I _ever_ feel threatened by you,” they grumble to themselves, standing up with their helmet under an arm.

“My apologies once again, Red,” you offer. “Would you like me to step out of this and walk with you, or would you prefer I meet you in storage?”

“Storage is fine. I might smack you for scaring me if you come out right now.”

“...Understood. I will see you shortly.”

You make a hasty retreat.

\-------------------------

When Red gets to storage, they thankfully do _not_ smack you.

\-------------------------

It’s about halfway between lunch and dinner when the crew piles into the cafeteria, their collective tasks done for the day. Pillows, blankets, and mattresses are scattered between the tables, each color-coded as is MIRA standard.There’s even a spare mattress of each color, packed by the company in the event that a crewmate’s bedding becomes unusable. A projector is sitting on one of the tables, aimed at the flat sheet that’s finally hanging correctly, and Black is off to the side building some type of fortress out of the spare bedding.

(You notice that Yellow and Orange have their mattresses pressed together, and someone has placed your purple bedding materials against Jude’s cyan ones. It brings a smile to your face and you have no reason to object, so you settle for making yourself comfortable.)

When everyone has taken their seats, Yellow and Orange come out of the kitchen, each carrying several large bowls filled with strange whitish-yellow puffs. You believe this to be the fabled “popcorn” you’ve heard so much about. When one of the bowls is placed between you and Jude, you catch an absolutely _delectable_ scent wafting from it. Distracted as you are by the wonderful smell, you don’t notice your torso splitting open, your true tongue slowly extracting itself and creeping closer to the bowl, the muscle focused _entirely_ on that tempting little piece of popcorn on the veeerrry top...

“Andar!”

You shake your head, snapping out of your daze at Jude’s voice. You tilt your head, making a sound of embarrassment when they point out your questing tongue.

“S-sorry,” you squeak awkwardly, forcing the protesting muscle back into the cavern of your torso. Jude smiles at you, but it’s just as awkward. You recall that they’re not used to seeing such a display from you and you sheepishly rub the back of your neck, worried that you may have frightened them. They laugh a little and put an arm around you. You relax into the touch. (It feels nice.)

(With everyone watching, you take your first bite of popcorn. It’s light, crispy, salty, and addicting. You have to restrain yourself in order to leave enough for Jude to enjoy as well, but you don’t object when they press a handful of the stuff against your body, watching in amused fascination when that sharp tongue of yours slips out and eats it right out of their hand.)

Yellow announces that she and Orange have decided to marathon “Harry Potter” for everyone. You have no idea what that means, but Jude assures you that it’s a classic series and you’ll probably enjoy it. You take their word for it and lean against them, tuning out the muttered arguments of the others debating whether the movies or books are better.

(You didn’t know it was also a book series. You hope that you can read it someday.)

(In the meantime, you try to figure out why this “Dumb-elder” character looks so different between the first and second movies. Jude tells you the actor from the first one passed and had to be replaced. It makes you sad.)

(You close your eyes whenever the giant snake is on the screen, afraid that you’ll end up petrified like those students if you look.)

(You gasp in surprise when some of the human characters transform into animals right in front of you, quietly exclaiming to Jude your ignorance and excitement at the fact that humans could shapeshift. You’re disappointed when they tell you that it’s just an effect in the movie, and that humans, unfortunately, lack the ability.)

(You jump during the fourth movie when the entire human portion of the crew screams about putting a name in a flaming goblet, perfectly synced with the character on the screen. You briefly wonder again if humans have elements of hive-mind.)

(You can hear Pink snarling in anger whenever the awful woman in pink is shown during the fifth movie. Black and Red have to calm her down. She cheers the loudest when that character is dragged into the woods.)

(You hear Lime cry out a pitiful “noooo” a few minutes later when the dog-man falls into the curtained portal. You cry with him, wrapping all your tendrils around Jude for comfort as you do.)

(You and your fellow impostors gasp in horror when the angry man commits murder against his friend. You cry again and require further consoling.)

(Jude screams when the old woman turns out to be the snake. When you ask if they’re okay, they tell you that Stabby Jr. just happened to live up to its name _during_ the jump-scare. Jude puts the cleaning robot between you and the machine beeps happily. However endearing it is, you pretend not to notice when Jude feeds it a few popcorn kernels.)

(You cry even more at the end of the seventh movie, when the little elf bleeds out. You aren’t sure how much more of this you can take.)

(You’re full-on sobbing when the battle reaches a midpoint, and there are _so many_ characters that are dead. As far as you can tell, Pink and Lime are reacting the same way, but it’s difficult to tell through your teary eyes and choking cries. A part of you wonders if this is how crews on other ships feel whenever they discover that one of your people has slain one of theirs. You don’t like it.)

(The eighth movie ends and your eyes are drooping with the need for sleep after so many minutes spent crying. When Jude asks if you enjoyed the movies, you tell them that you did, and your words are completely honest. You found the overall plot fascinating, and now you _really_ want to see how the books differ. You can feel both of your mouths stretching in a yawn and lay down, using your tendrils to nudge Jude down next to you. They happily comply, wrapping their arms around you while you hug them close with most of your tendrils. You use the unoccupied ones to pull the blankets up around both of you, as well as Stabby Jr., who’s still nestled between you.)

(You fall asleep easily and wake up feeling more rested than you have in a long time.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I didn’t have my document up for a few weeks and my motivation plummeted. Plus, I took a detour back into the A:tLA fandom because I’m weak. (There was this really good AU I read featuring platonic soulmates and it was just. So good. Omg.)
> 
> And some more news! When I started writing again, my brain decided to crap out a plot for a sequel to this, but it’s going to be a while before we get to that point. I’ve got to finish this one first, after all. But I dooo have the main characters (protags and antags) for the first arc, and a skeleton plot for it. (Fair warning, though, that it won’t be as laid-back as this one. At least so far in my notes.)
> 
> As for this story? I’d say there’s… 2-3 chapters left. I have plot skeletons for the next two, but the second one might end up long enough to split into two parts. Not sure yet. We’ll find out when we get there, I suppose.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	9. Interlude: Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I was gonna wait to post this, but I got too excited. This is (probably) the penultimate chapter, and shit may or may not be hitting the fan. Note that White (Johanna) and Green (Ludvig) are referred to by their actual names during this chapter, since Blue/Adam is their close friend and it’s in his POV.
> 
> Warning: Lots of swearing, mention of vomiting, and (semi?) graphic description of a panic attack (right at the end)

Your name is Blue, and you are the captain of the MIRA ship known as the Skeld.

You care deeply about every member of your crew, including the trio of aliens that have been nothing but peaceful since boarding. Even Pink, who killed several members of her previous crew, hasn’t caused any trouble since her therapy sessions with Johanna started. On the contrary, the eldest alien has thrown herself into her tasks vigorously, as if to make up for her past transgressions. Despite your hesitancy about her at first, you find that you do not regret your decision in letting her join, and you enjoy having her on board.

Lime is a good kid. He doesn’t say much, but he’s a hard worker and you appreciate that. You think he might be lonely, though. He’s the youngest member of your crew, and the people closest in age to him are too busy fawning over each other to spend much time with him anymore. You’re glad he at least has his sister with him now, but he still seems like he needs a friend. You hope that the few people who were left on Polus by the Kiln could become those friends. (You hope that those people are still _alive_ after over a month of isolation.)

Purple is responsible and gentle. They explained to you once, after they announced to the crew that they were an impostor, that their species is known for peacekeeping and breaking up fights. You witnessed it firsthand, almost, the night before Pink had started therapy. When the newcomer had been subdued and the situation explained, Purple had dragged the other two impostors into the vents. A few minutes later, Ludvig, with Red in tow, had found the aliens in medbay, with Purple patching up Pink and apologizing profusely for lightly cutting her up. You didn’t witness the moment yourself, but you had no reason to disbelieve Ludvig.

When you signed on with MIRA, they told you that impostors were bloodthirsty aliens who wanted nothing more than to tear apart and feast upon the soft flesh of humanity; that these creatures were the embodiment of old horror stories back on Earth- otherworldly demons given form, the monsters beneath every kid’s bed. They drilled protocol into your head, strict rules on what to do in the event that you were ever to encounter these terrible monsters (identify and execute). You kept this in mind when you were assigned the role of the Skeld’s captain, and threatened any impostors that may have been present at your first team meeting.

(You don’t think you’ll ever forget the flash of genuine fear that shot through Purple’s eyes, or the way that Lime had flinched and shuddered. At the time, their reactions gave you confidence, and you had decided that you would look to them as the first suspects if anything unusual happened, or if someone got hurt.)

When you actually _met_ some impostors and held conversations with them, you realized that MIRA was full of shit. You learned that impostors are really just harmless researchers who get fed the same lies about humans as you do about them. You wouldn’t be surprised if there was some kind of fear-mongering propaganda alliance between your higher-ups and theirs, but that may just be your inner conspiracy theorist talking. (As if humans would work _with_ the very people they’re trying to eradicate.)

You haven’t heard from MIRA in a while. They were supposed to contact you once every week, but you haven’t gotten so much as a message from them since boarding the Skeld. It makes you uncomfortable and causes you to overthink things. What if they were overthrown? Did some of those rare aggressive impostors get rid of them? Did you do something wrong enough for them to abandon you?

What will they do if ( _when_ ) they discover that there are _three_ impostors coexisting with the humans on your ship? You know the answer and it makes you sick to your stomach.

(You and your crew would be executed for treason and the impostors would be taken away to the labs for experimentation. After all, killing them would be too _merciful_ for MIRA. Why would a greedy corporation destroy perfectly usable specimens?)

Your are Captain Blue. Your crew is your family, and you are worried.

\---------------------------

You call a meeting.

You watch everyone filter into the cafeteria, thanking your lucky stars that your entire starting crew, plus one, is alive and well. Purple sits between Cyan and Lime, with Orange and Yellow on Lime’s other side. Johanna and Ludvig sit between Yellow and Black, and even Red seems to have gotten the stick out of their ass about the impostors, sandwiching Pink between themselves and Black. Seeing them all together like this brings a smile to your face, and you push your worries about MIRA to the side for now.

“Everyone slept well, I hope?” A chorus of affirmatives answers your question and you nod. “Good. I wanted to tell you all that we’ll be landing on Polus sometime this afternoon.”

Everyone starts talking at once. The general opinion seems to be excitement, but Pink looks anxious. You think she’s worried about her former crewmates (your future ones, should they have survived their isolation). She doesn’t voice her concerns, however, and seems content to squeeze Black and Red’s hands until things calm down. You clear your throat to get the crew’s attention, but it still takes a solid minute for them to hush enough to hear you.

“Tasks for today are in preparation for landing. I’ve sent your lists to your tablets, but it’s a lighter load than usual. Dismissed.”

You watch everyone disperse, seeing Pink run over to Cyan and Purple (who are holding hands and look surprised to see her). Black and Red are hanging back, waiting for her. You approach as well, curious.

“Cyan, would it be okay if I monitored comms today?” Pink asks. “Part of my former crew is down there. They don’t know about me being… well, not human.” She shifts awkwardly. “But they weren’t rude to me like the rest of them were. If they contact us, or if we contact them, it would nice to hear from someone familiar…”

“Uh, sure?” Cyan’s voice cracks a little in surprise, and then they see you. “If uh. If the captain’s okay with it, so am I.”

“Please, Blue?” Pink turns around with a pleading look on her face. You were an only child, but that expression of hers somehow sets off some kind of big brother instinct you didn’t know you had, and you nod.

“I don’t see why not. We’re not in range yet, but we should be in a couple of hours. Think you can get your tasks done by then?”

“Yes, of course!” Pink readily agrees. Her pleading look turns into one of determination. “I’ll get them done, and then go into comms. Thank you, Captain!” You can’t help but smile.

“Not a problem.”

\----------------------------

A scant two hours before you land, Pink finally manages to make contact with the crew on Polus. Red is the one who retrieves you, and you follow them to comms as quickly as you can. Red, Black, and Pink are gathered around the radio and Black frantically waves you over. Pink flips a few switches and unplugs the headset, and suddenly it’s on speakerphone. (You didn’t know that was possible with this thing.)

“Green, it’s so good to hear your voice!” Pink nearly shouts in her excitement.

“Wait, holy shit, is that you, Pink?! Dude, did crotchety ol’ Captain White finally decide to come back for us?”

Pink goes tense, and her companions give her hands a comforting squeeze.

“Ah, no, actually, I’m on the Skeld right now. We’re supposed to be landing in a couple of hours.”

“A different ship? What happened there?”

She frowns, shifting nervously before responding.

“I’ll… explain later. Are you, Purple, and Cyan okay?”

“Yeah, we are. This place’s medbay is chock-full of helpful stuff, but it was kind of a pain in the ass to figure out what meds we needed without Lime and her medical knowledge.”

“Well, I’m glad you figured it out.” Pink is fidgeting and starting to shrink in on herself, so you decide to take over the call for her sake. She gives you a grateful smile when you start to speak.

“This is Captain Blue of the Skeld. Green, was it?”

“Ah, yes, sir!” There’s a short pause. “Uh… You _are_ a ‘sir,’ right? Sorry if you’re not, I don’t want to make a bad impression! I’m certainly not a sir, even if I sound like it-”

“They ramble when they’re nervous,” Pink quietly supplies as she slowly calms herself. You nod and grin.

“Not to worry, Green,” you effectively cut them off mid-ramble and they let out an awkward squawk. “I identify as male, so I’m not at all offended.”

“O-oh! Good, that’s great!”

“There _is_ a small problem, though, and it has nothing to do with your nerves.”

“What would that be then, Captain?”

“My crew already has a Green, Purple, and Cyan. Having two of each would just get confusing. I can ask my three for their names, but it might be beneficial if the three of you have nicknames related to your suit colors, just in case. Would that be okay with you?”

“Oh hell yeah!” There’s another pause and it takes a significant amount of restraint for you not to laugh. “Uh! I mean, yes, sir, we can come up with nicknames by the time you land. Which will be in… A couple of hours, you said? Right?”

“Yes. We’re set to arrive around 1500. We would be grateful if you could get some fuel ready, as well as a few crates of food and medical supplies. Our stock is running a bit low.”

(That’s not entirely true. Your ship’s medical supplies are fairly well-stocked still, since there have been so few injuries. Food is pretty low, though, and it’s going to get even lower with three more mouths to feed. Plus, something in your gut is telling you to gather as many supplies as you can fit into storage.)

“Aye, aye, captain!” Green says through the radio. “I’ll go let the others know, and we’ll get started right away. See you soon, and safe travels!”

“Take care, now. We’ll contact you again right before landing.”

“Yes, sir!”

The communication channel closes and you dismiss yourself with a nod and a wave. You’re incredibly excited at the prospect of new scenery and the feeling is burning through your veins. You decide you’re going to walk the ship and update everyone you come across instead of calling a meeting.

\-----------------------------

The first thing you notice, when the Skeld lands, is that Polus is _huge._ There are several buildings scattered about the base, and you’re pretty sure you saw a fucking _lava pit_ on your way down. There are a couple of bridges on either side of where the ship settled, leading to platforms rising up from the chasm below, and marked clearly with yellow and black hazard stripes. You’re curious about that, but you suppose you’ll ask later.

The second thing you notice, when you step out of the ship, is that it’s _cold._ Sure, the winters were harsh where you grew up, but the temperatures were never this low outside of the occasional polar vortex, and those were few and far between. You have a feeling that, if you were to remove your helmet to take a breath of fresh air, you’d immediately go into a coughing fit between the chill and the dryness.

The Kiln’s remaining crew comes out of one of the buildings to greet your team.

“Captain Blue! Hi, welcome to Polus!” Green says with a wave. They’re wearing a heavy coat and snowpants, as are the other two. “I’m Green, but you can call me Leaf, so things don’t get confusing.”

“I’m Purp- er, _Violet,_ ” comes a soft voice. “S-sorry, this is going to take some time to get used to.”

You’re glad you suggested nicknames. Violet is the same height as your Purple, with a similar build. It would be _really_ easy to mistake them for one another otherwise. (It still might be.) She seems more timid than the alien, though, and you hope that can help distinguish them from each other.

“Mint,” says the one in the cyan suit. His posture is loose and casual and he looks like he’d be leaning against something if he could. “So, do you like. Want us to start loading cargo now, or show you around?” His voice is a slow drawl that reminds you distinctly of the stereotypical stoner.

(You don’t think there are any recreational drugs around here, but who _knows_ what these three may have discovered during their isolation.)

“Show us around first,” you tell them with a nod. “Are there spare coats here? We couldn’t find any among our supplies.”

“Oh! Yes, we’ll bring you to the office first,” Violet offers with a nervous smile. “W-we can go through medbay and specimen.”

“It’s warmer in the buildings,” Leaf agrees. “Still cold as shit, but at least there’s no wind!”

And so, the Polus tour begins.

\------------------------------

As you thought, this place is _massive._

It’s the dawn of your first day here (and still no word from MIRA), so you decide to get a better look at the facilities. As you walk, your mind wanders.

After the tour and dinner last night, everyone went to bed, so there was little time for people to get to know each other. Because of this, Pink didn’t get a chance to explain the fate of the Kiln’s crew. She asked for your advice on the subject while you were opening your assigned room’s door, ready to sleep. After a bit of convincing, and your offer to stick around as support, she agreed to tell her former crewmates after lunch today.

Now you just need to buy time until that fateful meeting. Hence, the wandering.

(You have a few tasks you need to do, but you’re a little too distracted to start them yet, even if it _is_ mostly loading cargo.)

You walk past comms and peer into the dark building. It’s empty of people, but something about it still makes you deeply uncomfortable. Maybe it’s anticipation. (You don’t like it.) If MIRA doesn’t contact you soon, you’ll be contacting them and you… _really_ don’t want to deal with General Plumm. She’s stern and calculating even on the best of days. (You want to be able to make a quick getaway in the likely event that things go south. You don’t know what you’ll do from there, but you’ll figure something out. All of you will. Your crew is sharp.)

A yelp of alarm from storage rips you from your thoughts, so you run toward it. Lime is profusely apologizing to… Violet, judging by his panic. She seems pretty spooked, too, and has backed up against some of the crates. Lime is near the door, and both of them are trembling. With a bracing breath, you step into the building.

“What seems to be the problem here?”

They both jump at your voice. Violet points a shaky finger at Lime.

“H-he’s… He’s…”

Lime shrinks in on himself and turns toward you, eyes big like a frightened cat’s.

“I-I thought she was Andar!” He squeaks. His tentacles are out and coiling around him. (You think you know where this is going.)

You sigh, wishing you could pinch your eyebrows together through your helmet.

“Someone explain what happened. Please.”

“H-he’s an impostor!”

“I poked her shoulder with one of my tendrils because I thought she was Andar, and then I asked if we could hang out since they’ve been so busy lately-”

“ _Tentacle,_ Captain! H-how are you not freaking out?!”

“I said I was sorry, Violet! I didn’t mean to scare you-”

“Both of you, hush!”

Miraculously, they both follow your order immediately. They’re still panicking, but there’s not much you can do about it aside from talk, so you do.

“Violet, I’m well aware that Lime here is an impostor. I can assure you that he’s harmless, though. Lime, I don’t know _why_ you thought it would be a good idea to bring out your tentacles before we could explain the situation to the crew here, but now the damage is done, I suppose.” You take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Lime looks successfully cowed and has retracted his tentacles. Violet is no longer shaking, but looks confused.

“B-but if he’s an impostor…”

“We’re not disposing of him, Violet.”

“I wasn’t going to suggest that!” she squeaks, horrified. “N-no one deserves to be thrown into the lava… But if MIRA finds out… We’re all in trouble.”

“...I know.”

Lime joins in her horror and sounds like he’s about to cry when chokes out his words.

“Blue, are you… risking everyone? For _us?_ ”

You suddenly feel decades older when you nod.

“Yes. I am.”

\-----------------------------

The post-lunch meeting, or at least the first part, goes surprisingly well. Mint seems completely unbothered by the knowledge that there are three impostors in the crew, and Leaf seems both excited and unnerved. Violet, having already encountered one of them, only seems surprised by the knowledge that there are _three._ Purple explains to them, after revealing themselves as one, about the mission they’re on, sparing no detail. They invite the Polus trio to ask them anything they’d like at any time.

(If Johanna and Ludvig weren’t already your next in command, you would appoint Purple as such. They’re one of the most responsible people on the crew, in your opinion.)

The second half of the meeting, when most of your crew have dispersed, is a bit more… subdued, to say the least. Red and Johanna remove their helmets, while you, Black, and Pink keep yours on. Leaf, Mint, and Violet keep theirs on as well. All attention turns to Pink, who swallows nervously.

“I said I’d explain… what happened on the Kiln.” You don’t think you’ve ever heard her speak so quietly. “First… I’m an impostor.” There are a few perfectly synced gasps that would be funny if the situation was less dire. “Julia- Lime, sorry- wanted help in storage, so she asked Oron- Brown- and I for help. An asteroid hit the ship and she was almost crushed by crates, so Oron pulled her out of the way with their tendrils. And… _Red_ saw.”

Briefly, Pink turns toward Red and gives their hand a squeeze. She murmurs a soft “not you” before returning her attention to the Polus trio.

“He told everyone, and they voted to eject Oron, then me. Blue held me back and I watched Red and White throw Oron out of the airlock… They were my bond-mate, which is like human marriage, but more intense. I was distraught, and before I realized it, I had stabbed Blue with my tongue.” To demonstrate, Pink opens the mouth on her torso and pokes the long sharp tongue out before quickly retracting it. She refuses to look at anyone as she does this. Despite the looks of horror the Polus trio have on their faces, they don’t interrupt.

“I didn’t mean to kill her! She just… She was right _there_ and I was panicking, and my body just… reacted to the nearest threat…” Pink hangs her head and chokes out a sob. Black and Red squeeze her hands and Johanna rubs her shoulders, muttering something encouraging.

“I spent the next week hiding in the vents and talking to Julia. I only came out when a meeting was called because they voted to eject her, too. I… couldn’t get to her in time, though.” Pink’s voice cracks when she sobs again. “Red, Black, and White grabbed me to eject me and…”

You decide to cut in here. Pink doesn’t look like she can say another word without losing herself again. Johanna gives you a grateful nod.

“We received her distress signal a few days later. She was the only one who boarded.”

“I’m sorry,” Pink whimpers. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-”

“Hush, dear, it’s okay,” Johanna soothes.

“Red, Black, Pink,” you begin, “you can take the rest of the day off if you’d like. You too, Johanna. I can handle things from here.”

“Thanks, Captain,” Red says. The three of them wander off while your friend nods at you before following them. You turn your attention back to Leaf, Mint, and Violet.

“Pink has been in therapy since boarding.” (No need to mention her attack on Red, you think.) “I’m sure it was obvious, but she genuinely regrets her actions regarding your previous crew. She expressed concern for your safety multiple times when she learned we were coming here. She’s a good person who’s made some terrible mistakes.”

You straighten your posture, eyeing the still-shocked Polus trio.

“I’m not going to tell you to forgive her, but I _will_ tell you not to bother her about this. If you want to hear more, wait for her to approach you. She’s still recovering, and this may have set her back some, but she thought it was important for her to explain things. Now,” you take a step toward the door, “I’m going to leave you to think about this. You can do your tasks or you can take the rest of the day off. I’ll be in comms if you need me.”

The stunned silence follows you out of the office and all the way to the comms building.

\--------------------------------

Dinner is a quiet affair for the ones who stayed through the second part of the meeting. Even the rest of your crew mostly keep to themselves, reading the room.

When everyone leaves for bed, the Polus trio approach Pink. Leaf is at the front, while Mint and Violet are at their sides, slightly behind.

“Red was an asshole and so was Captain White,” Leaf says. “Good riddance to them.”

“It’s too bad about Black and Blue… a-and Lime and Brown!” Violet shifts awkwardly, seeming embarrassed for almost forgetting Pink’s friends. “B-but I agree with Gr- _Leaf_.”

Mint looks casual, a posture you’ve come to recognize as his usual, and gives Pink a thumbs-up.

“Fight the establishment, sister. We’ve got your back- even if it _is_ covered in tentacles.”

Pink manages a watery laugh and makes an aborted movement like she wants to hug them all. Mint is the first one who welcomes it, followed quickly by Violet then Leaf. Pink releases her tentacles to properly wrap all of them in a hug and cries happy tears.

Words can’t express your relief. With a smile, you return to comms.

\---------------------------

It’s 2AM and you’re practically asleep at the desk when a video call comes through. Quickly, you scramble to answer it, hoping that you can focus properly. (With your sudden internal panic, you don’t think that’ll be a problem.)

General Plumm’s face is what greets you. She has dark skin, deep red hair, and sharp green eyes that are currently piercing through you. You swallow nervously, grateful that your helmet hides the action.

“Greetings, General Plumm,” you offer with a salute.

“Hello, Captain Blue. It seems you’ve safely arrived on Polus. I trust you haven’t had any… issues?”

“None, General. My crew is still alive and well.”

“I’m happy to hear it.” Her professional tone says otherwise. “Status report.”

“My crew and ship are in good shape. We were hit by an asteroid a few weeks ago, but it didn’t do any serious damage. Medical supplies are doing well, since injuries have been minimal. Food store has been replenished as of landing. Three members of the previous ship to land on Polus are still here. They explained to me that they were dangerously ill, so their captain left them on the surface to prevent the spread. I will be adding them to my crew until further notice.”

“The previous ship to dock on Polus was the Kiln. Tell me, Captain, are you familiar with the Kiln?”

It feels like there’s a rock in your stomach and a lemon in your throat. You want to vomit, but you keep your tone steady.

“The three crewmates left here told me that was the ship they were part of, so yes, to a degree.”

“Mhm. Is there anything you’re leaving out, Captain?” General Plumm’s voice takes on a dangerous lilt and she seems to be examining her nails. The attempt to look nonchalant only unnerves you more.

“What do you mean, General?” Fuck, you hope your voice is steady.

“We discovered the empty husk of a ship that is now the Kiln. Security footage shows that an impostor in a pink suit brutally killed several members of the crew. There is no sign that this vicious creature is still on board, but audio logs have revealed that the Skeld is the last ship to have come into contact with the Kiln.” The general leans forward, narrowing those cold, sharp eyes.

“I don’t suppose you picked up a _stray,_ did you, Captain?”

You take a deep breath while she speaks and let it out slowly.

“I fear I may have,” you admit.

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck_

“Very well then. You recall impostor protocol, correct?”

_Yes. It’s awful and I hate it. I hate_ _**you.** _

“I believe so, but a refresher would be appreciated.”

_Damn it._

“Identify and execute,” General Plumm says, ticking off each rule on claw-like fingers. “Inability to catch these crafty beasts will not be held against you. _Unwillingness_ to do so when the identity of such a creature is known will result in the execution of all crewmates that are aware of the impostor’s identity, on charges of treason against humanity and Terra United, MIRA’s parent company and reigning government on Earth. However, if the impostor, or impostors, can be safely contained and held until a MIRA shuttle is able to bring them to HQ, human crewmates will not be punished unless they attempted to ally with the impostor. On the contrary, MIRA welcomes new specimens, and providers of such will be handsomely rewarded.”

Her eyes slide back to you, narrowed like a predator’s.

“Was that _refreshing_ enough, Captain?”

_Fucking hell._

“Yes, General. Thank you.”

“The threat will be taken care of immediately, yes?”

_No. Threaten me with death all you want, but I will_ _**not** _ _let you tear this crew, my_ _**family** _ _, apart._

“Of course, General.”

“Good.” General Plumm’s smile is all teeth. “A shuttle will be landing on Polus in one week, to make sure you’ve followed through on your word. Have a nice night, Captain.”

The general ends the call before you can respond. You keep yourself together long enough to close up comms for the night, and wait until you’re out of range of any cameras before you drop your helmet, collapse to your knees, and release the contents of your stomach. Your breathing is erratic and you’re shaking and gasping, and you think you’re crying, but you’re not sure because everything is just _too much_ right now. Your heart is pounding so hard, you’re surprised it hasn’t leapt right out of your chest to join your stomach.

You stay that way for at least ten minutes, but it feels like decades. When you finally come back to your senses, you find yourself laying on your side, curled into a fetal position. You’re still shaking and it’s difficult to breathe, but you think it’s due to the bitter cold. You carefully get to your feet and equip your helmet, almost mindlessly going straight to medbay to check for signs of frostbite. Thankfully, there are none.

You’re _exhausted._ You don’t think you can make it back to your quarters, so you settle for the office, walking toward decontamination. At least from there you’ll be able to call a meeting quickly when you wake up.

You don’t make it past the specimen room before you pass out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied at the beginning. Shit is d e f i n i t e l y hitting the fan. We’ve got one chapter (and maybe an epilogue) left of this. It might take a little while since I need to figure out how to write it (whereas I churned this sucker out in a couple of days because Blue was surprisingly easy to write). Also, that scene with Lime and Violet waaas going to be a separate bit in Where All The Satellites Are Mine, but then it just kinda happened here. (Still might try to write it from Lime's POV sometime.)
> 
> So what do you think of General Plumm? I’ve known I wanted to get to this point since Pink’s interlude, but I didn’t have Plumm specifically planned out until… halfway through writing this chapter, heh. It was just gonna be some grouchy old dude, but then my mind went “what if badass lady instead” and I couldn’t say no. I kinda like her. Too bad she (probably) won’t show up again.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this 4685 word monstrosity of a chapter! See you next time!


	10. Prelude, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! The beginning of the grand finale… I hope it lives up to your expectations! Back to Purple’s POV for this. (And lots of conversation, oops.)
> 
> This isn't exactly a _long_ chapter (about 2300 words), but... It's been almost a month since I updated and I felt bad for taking so long, so I figured I'd give you what I have for now, and combine parts one and two into one chapter at a later time.
> 
> Sorry this chapter took so long. I started writing it the day after posting the last one, and then a lot of stuff happened. (Had to put my cat down [cancer], then I had D&D, two friends with birthdays, adopted two new cats, and met up with some family I haven’t seen in a while. And work, can’t forget work. Ironically, one of the cats came with the name Mira! But she's a big sweetheart with an even bigger purr instead of an overpowered corrupt organization.)

_Accomplice P was correct in her description; Polus is incredibly cold. The humans seem to be faring similarly to us in this climate, which is… not well. There are some who seem to be faring much better, however, as if they are used to this. For three of them- new crewmates, Subjects L, M, and V- this is understandable, as they have been here for several weeks prior to our landing. As for the others… When I asked them- Subjects B1, B2, G, and W- they informed me that they were raised in similar, albeit less intense, climates on Earth._

_Subject B2 introduced me to a traditional cold-climate human game known as “snowball fight.” You roll snow into small ball shapes, big enough to comfortably fit in one hand, and throw them at your opponent(s). Sometimes, people who are not participating are also targeted. It is simple and generally harmless, unless there is a large piece of ice lodged within one of these snowballs._ _The end results, however, leave players cold and wet, with bits of snow clinging to them._

_(Side note: it is alarming how well Subjects B2 and R, and Accomplice P, work together in this game. Subjects B2 and R quickly discovered that our tendrils can hold, and throw, several snowballs at a time, and used this knowledge to their advantage. My team, consisting of myself and Subjects O and Y, as well as Accomplice L’s team, consisting of himself and Subjects L and V, did not stand a chance against their onslaught.)_

_We are enjoying our time with the humans and learning more about them every day. I am going to miss them dearly, Subject C especially, when the time comes for us to inevitably return home._

\------------------

The captain is missing.

When you and everyone else arrive at the office for breakfast and the morning meeting, you discover that he is nowhere to be found. All of you are worried, and although Leaf, Mint, and Violet seem to have accepted you, Lime, and Pink, they’re still casting you wary glances every now and then. Everyone starts muttering and talking at the same time, expressing high levels of concern, especially in Green and White’s case. Green claps loudly a couple of times to get the crew’s attention.

“As we all know, Blue is MIA. As his next in command, I suggest we split into groups and search for him. I need small teams of two to three people to check medbay, comms and weapons, O2, security, and storage. I’ll cover specimen. Someone should stay here in case he shows up, and hit the emergency meeting button if he does. Now split up and search.”

Pink, Black, and Red leave to check security and Jude follows to check storage, while Mint and Leaf leave for O2. Yellow and Orange go to check weapons and comms, and Lime and Violet go to medbay. You and Green check admin before entering decontamination. White stays at the button.

You are worried. What if an aggressive one of your people is somehow here? The captain may be dead by their hand (you desperately hope not), and Jude is all alone at storage… An easy target. You express your concerns to Green as the sanitizing mist disinfects you.

“If that were the case,” he tells you, “we would’ve walked into a bloodbath when we landed instead of a welcoming committee.” He glances at you. “I’ve known Adam, Blue to you, for a long time. He’s clumsy when it comes to handling fragile objects, but he works harder than he needs to when it comes to anything else. He’s probably just passed out somewhere… Wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened.”

You breathe out slowly and thank Green. If he’s confident enough that the captain is alive, you’ll take his word for it.

The hallway between specimen and decontamination is long and narrow, and you can hear the wind through the walls. It seems fairly dark, too, but that doesn’t impede your enhanced sight. It doesn’t seem to bother Green, either, so it probably isn’t _too_ dark. You can see the entryway a few meters in front of you and hasten your steps.

(Despite Green’s comfort, you’d still rather be in front of him in case there _is_ an aggressive member of your people in the room. You would be able to protect him that way.)

Everything in here looks normal, aside from the motionless lump that is the captain.

“Green!” You call, hurrying to crouch next to Blue. “He’s in here!”

Much to your relief, Blue lets out a low groan at the noise as Green crouches next to you and speaks softly.

“Wakey wakey, Adam. It’s morning.”

Another groan and a bit of shifting.

“Don’t make me stuff snow down your shirt like when we were kids.”

“Uuuggghhh…” Reluctantly, Blue’s eyes blink open beneath his visor. He takes a few seconds to blink groggily at you and your companion before he shakes his head a little and sits up too quickly.

“Whoa, there, Adam,” Green steadies him and you hold up your hands to catch the captain in case he tips over again. “You look like shit. What happened?”

“Meeting. Now.” Blue coughs a little, ignoring his friend’s jibe. He seems tense and there are dark spots under his eyes.

_He really does look awful,_ you think.

“Can you walk?” you ask quietly. “I can carry you, if you need me to.”

“I think I can.” Blue moves to stand, once again too fast, and you catch him. “...Okay, maybe not. But this is an emergency, and we need to have a meeting _right now._ ”

“Purple, help me carry him,” Green orders, and you’re more than happy to oblige. He has Blue fling an arm around your shoulders and puts one of his own hands on the captain’s shoulder. You press your arm into Blue’s back, bracing him as he leans slightly into you.

By the time your little group reaches the decontamination chamber, the captain is walking on his own. There’s a sense of urgency surrounding him and it makes you nervous. You’re honestly afraid to find out the _reason_ for his hurry. When the sanitizing mist dissipates, Blue speed-walks out the door and swiftly makes his way to the meeting room. You hear White begin to greet him before the grating buzz of the emergency button echoes throughout the base.

You take your seat and wait.

\---------------------------

It takes a few minutes for everyone to get to the meeting room and each person expresses their relief when they see Blue alive and well. The captain, on the other hand, has a grave expression on his face. He’s still standing, leaning forward with his arms straight out and palms pressed firmly against the table. He doesn’t even need to calm the usual chatter- the entire crew is silently awaiting his words. He takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out.

“We need to leave Polus.”

“Already?” Orange.

“But we just got here…” Black.

“Speak for yourself, I’m ready to leave this ice pit.” Leaf.

“Quiet! Please.” Blue is still rigid and the others shut their mouths. The captain straightens his posture and begins to pace. “I need to know,” his voice is unusually soft, but it sounds like a shout in the silence. “Human crewmates… What did the academy teach you about impostor protocol?”

You feel yourself tense up, and a sense of dread tickles at your stomach. Red answers.

“’Identify and execute’ is all they told us. No details or reasons, just that.”

You see Pink curl into herself with a frightened glance at Red. They rub her shoulder in a comforting way.

“Obviously, we aren’t doing that,” they murmur to her. “It’s what we were taught to do, but we know better now than to blindly listen to _them_ about you guys.”

Blue clears his throat, but you think you see a spark of approval in his eyes at Red’s comment.

“Those of us who have been trained as leaders were taught something a bit different,” he says, dipping into a defeated monotone. All eyes are on him, unblinking.

“Did they tell any of you what the consequences for breaking protocol are?” He sighs when the crew shake their heads. “...I was afraid of that. Leaders are sworn to secrecy, but I don’t give a _fuck_ about what MIRA says anymore. General Plumm can kiss my ass.”

“Adam, just _say it_ already,” Green requests in his usual calm voice.

“...Fine.” Blue hangs his head for a few seconds, bracing himself against the table again. When he looks up, his eyes are dull.

“If a crew refuses to follow protocol, the consequence is execution for treason.”

A chorus of horrified gasps rises around the room, with a few whimpers and choked sobs.

“I-I thought… I thought that the w-worst that they’d do is… is arrest u-us!” Violet stutters, shaking in terror. “B-but… _death?!_ Th-that seems kind of extreme!”

“...It is. But Terra United doesn’t want any of us getting _ideas._ ” Blue spits the word before glancing at the four former members of the Kiln, starting with Violet and ending on Pink. “They found the Kiln’s wreckage and reviewed camera footage and audio logs. Pink, they know you’re an impostor, and they know you’re with my crew.”

Pink lets out a high-pitched sob. Blue’s expression is hopeless and pitying.

“General Plumm called last night and told me about this. A ship will be here in a week to make sure we’ve ‘dealt with the problem.’” He growls and slams a fist into the table, leaving a dent. He barely even winces, despite the blood you can see welling up through the knuckles of his glove. “She gave me two options. Execute all impostors in the crew, or turn them in for experimentation for a ‘ _handsome reward._ ’”

You don’t think you’ve heard anyone sound so disgusted in your life. Part of you is touched that the captain cares so much, but mostly, you’re worried for the safety of the group of humans you’ve become so attached to. Some part of you realizes that you would turn _yourself_ in to keep them, to keep Jude, safe from their own people.

“Captain,” you begin softly, raising a hand. His, and the crew’s, attention flits to you. “With your permission, I would like to pull Lime and Pink away for a meeting of our own to discuss our options.”

“ _What_ options?” Blue asks a bit too harshly, something protective clear in his voice. “We are _not_ going to kill you or turn you in.”

“I understand,” you swallow nervously, “but I would still like to speak with them in private. We will return shortly, and go no further than specimen.”

There’s a tense pause before Blue sighs heavily.

“...Okay. We’ll carry on and fill you in later, then.”

“Thank you, Captain,” you nod and stand. Jude is reluctant to release your hand from their grip, but they finally acquiesce and let go after a quiet reassurance from you. You feel their eyes boring into you until you’re out of sight.

\---------------------------

None of you speak while the sanitizing mist sprays you, silently marching into the specimen room when the decontamination doors open. Even when the three of you sit down in a small circle in the corner, no one says anything for a few minutes. Pink breaks that overbearing quiet by crying, so you and Lime hold her close without a word. You hear a few sniffles come from Lime, and you can feel grim tears rolling down your cheeks. None of you want to lose the people you’ve come to care about, nor each other.

It takes at least twenty minutes for you all to calm down enough to hold your private meeting. Lime is watching Pink sadly, and Pink won’t make eye contact with either of you. You sigh and sit up a little straighter.

“We need to figure out what we are going to do about this,” you announce, voice crackling a little. “We cannot let our humans die simply for being kind to us.”

“I’m the reason for this whole mess,” Pink mutters, barely audible. “I should just… jump into the lava pit.” She lets out a choking laugh, hysteric. “That’s what MIRA wants, isn’t it? To get rid of me. It’ll solve everything.”

“Pink, no…!” Lime manages, sounding horrified.

“He is right,” you agree. “You should not just go along with what the human government declares. They sound as if they are deeply corrupt, if they are willing to kill their own citizens over something as harmless as befriending extraterrestrials.”

Pink makes a noise to show she’s listening, and Lime still looks worried.

“Plus,” you add softly, “I have seen the way you, Black, and Red look at each other. It is the same way Jude and I do… That means something to you, I know it does.” You rub her shoulder soothingly and she brings a hand up to rest on yours.

“That is why,” you continue, “I am willing to disguise myself as you, if it becomes necessary.”

“Purple, no!” Pink gasps. “But… You and Cyan…!”

“...I know.” You look down, eyes glassy. “I do not wish to cause them emotional pain, but I will do whatever it takes to keep them, and the rest of the crew, safe.”

“Both of you, _knock it off!_ ” Lime snaps. You and Pink look at him in surprise, having never experienced anything even remotely aggressive from him. You think he’s growling a little. Pink grabs your arm and the two of you shrink into each other. Lime huffs and looks away.

“You’re both missing the big picture here,” he mutters. “No one needs to _sacrifice themselves_ to keep the humans safe.”

“...Then what…?” Pink trails.

“...do you suggest?” you finish.

Lime watches you both closely. You think he may be smiling ever-so slightly.

“...I say we bring them home. _Our_ home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Prelude: an action or event serving as an introduction to something more important.” I used this as the title to kind of lead into a “new beginning” sort of deal.
> 
> The snowball fight in the starting journal entry takes place after dinner during the previous chapter, when Leaf, Mint, and Violet accepted Pink. The players took a detour before heading to their bunks for the night.
> 
> Next chapter/part two isn't done yet, but it'll pick up right where this one left off. Hope you enjoyed!


	11. Prelude, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two! Last half of the finale. Picks up right where the previous chapter left off.
> 
> Oh man, I churned this sucker out so quick, I'm surprised with myself. I only had the first three or so paragraphs done when I posted the previous chapter, but listening to music _really_ helps me focus when I'm writing. I think I got... at _least_ 3/4 of this done in the last few hours before posting.
> 
> Anyway! I hope you enjoy! :D

You spend the next several minutes fleshing out Lime’s plan before deeming it good enough to suggest to the crew. You make your way back down the hallway and let the mist spray you again before heading into the meeting room. Captain Blue sees you and gestures for you to take your seats. You watch Pink settle between Black and Red, and Lime takes his place between Orange and Violet. You sit beside Jude and their hand finds yours immediately. The captain nods toward the three of you.

“Did your meeting go well?”

“Yeah,” Lime tells him, sounding cheerful.

“Good.” Blue raises an eyebrow at the positive tone. “...We were about to start loading supplies onto the Skeld. I don’t know what we’re going to do, but we need to leave Polus as soon as possible.”

“Captain,” you begin, locking eyes with the man in question. “Lime came up with a fantastic plan, and we would like to hear your, and the crew’s, opinions on it.”

“...Let’s hear it, then.” Blue seems surprised, but you think you detect a note of hope in his voice. You offer a smile and gesture to Lime, who stands up and starts explaining things a little too quickly in his excitement. Pink has to get his attention to slow him down enough for his words to be coherent and it takes a lot of restraint for you not to laugh a little at the enthusiasm.

“We can bring you to our home planet!” Lime declares loudly, bouncing on his heels. “We’ll have to make a pit stop to an allied planet for fuel and supplies, ‘cause it’s pretty far, but you would be welcome there!”

“Our people have accepted refugees from other planets before,” Pink adds with a nod. “I know the coordinates- we can retrace the route we took to infiltrate MIRA ships.”

“The only problem,” you add, “is that MIRA likely has tracking devices or programs within the Skeld. We need to find and deactivate them, or tamper with them enough to… _mislead_ your higher-ups.”

“Do you know of any planets that would have...” Lime begins again, trailing, “...not-so-legal means of removing trackers from tech like this?”

“I do,” Mint chimes in and Lime’s eyes light up like stars. “If you’re looking for illegal shit like black markets or fake documents, I’m your guy. I _know_ people.”

“How did a shady guy like this make it onto a MIRA ship?” Someone mutters. You think it may be Red, but you honestly don’t know, too distracted by the plan.

“Dude, I _just said_ fake documents.” Mint raises an eyebrow and leans his head onto a hand, arm propped up on his elbow. “There’s no _fucking_ way MIRA’d hire a sketchy dude like me, so I had to fudge a few things to make it sound like I _wasn’t_ a total loser.” He shrugs. “I mean, I _am,_ but they didn’t need to know that. Plus, it’s all working out right now, isn’t it?”

“Now hold on just a minute-” Blue interrupts loudly, palm against his face. “I’m the one in charge here, I should be able to get a word in before you kids finalize anything.”

“Oops,” Lime covers his mouth with a sheepish looking smile. “Sorry, Captain.”

“I forgive you,” Blue smiles fondly, straightening his posture when he stands. “I like this idea. Are you _absolutely certain_ your people would welcome us?” He turns his attention to you when he asks.

“Yes,” you nod in agreement. “As Pink told you, we have taken in refugees before. The ones in charge of our planet may warn us of potentially dangerous new species, as they did when they learned about humans, but will not hold individuals accountable for the actions of the majority.” You smile softly. “They are good at distinguishing ally from enemy.”

“Just be prepared to answer a _lot_ of questions. We’re a curious people.” Pink winks and sticks her tongue out a little. “ _And_ we’re trying to learn about your species, but I’m sure you know that by now.”

“Well,” Blue begins, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I think it’s a good plan. We’ll put it to a vote. What does everyone else think?” He turns his attention to the rest of the crew.

“I mean, I’m all for it. Wouldn’ta offered my contacts if I wasn’t,” Mint responds coolly, leaning back in his seat.

“M-me too!” Violet squeaks, twiddling her fingers nervously. “I’ll miss my f-family… but this is the s-safest option. I think.”

“I’m not gonna leave you guys, either!” Leaf almost shouts, wrapping their arms around both Mint and Violet. “I’d be a shitty friend if I even _considered_ it.”

“Of course I’m in,” Black says, smiling lovingly at Pink and Red. “Wherever they go, so will I.”

“As if I’d abandon my girlfriends at a time like this,” Red says, returning Black’s look and wrapping an arm around Pink.

“I think it’s obvious where I stand in this,” Jude nods, nuzzling into your neck. You trill softly and cuddle them back.

“We’re in!” Yellow and Orange announce, raising their intertwined hands.

“Count me in, I suppose,” Green says, nodding toward the pranksters with a small, but fond, grin. “Someone’s got to keep these kids in line.”

“And I couldn’t leave my patient behind,” White adds, glancing at Pink. “I’d make for a poor therapist if I did.” For a minute, her expression grows sad. “I won’t get to see my grandkids grow up, but that’s okay. I told my children I may not return from this trip, and they understood. ‘Go find dad among the stars,’ my daughter told me at the farewell party…” White wipes a tear from her eyes, helmetless like everyone else at the table. “MIRA will probably tell all our loved ones that we didn’t survive the trip.”

“Most likely,” Blue murmurs, moving to rub at White’s shoulders in a comforting way. “They’d rather pay our families off, or what’s left of them in some cases, than tell them we went AWOL.”

“Might be better that way,” Green says gravely, pressing close to his friends. “What would be worse… Our families hearing we’re dead, or learning we abandoned them to commit treason?”

Everyone around the table grimaces at that and grows silent. After a few minutes of no one speaking, Blue opens his mouth, probably to dismiss everyone, but Mint interrupts him.

“So… If we’re committing treason, why not like. Do something _more_ instead of just running off?”

“What are you…?” The entire crew looks confused, expressions echoing the captain’s words. Leaf and Violet seem more concerned than anything, though.

“Dude, no way,” Leaf starts. “Are you _seriously_ going to suggest…?”

“I’m afraid he _is,_ ” Violet’s skin pales.

“You’re damn right,” Mint says with a grin. “Why not send an _even bigger_ fuck-you to MIRA than just leaving Polus?”  
  


“Oh _no,_ ” someone groans, and you can’t tell if it’s Leaf or Violet.

“Oh _yes,_ ” Mint claps his hands together and glances at you, Pink, and Lime. “You impostors can sabotage shit, right?”

“Um… Yeah…? I’ve never done it, but we know how to.” Lime looks nervous now.

“Awesome. One of you should fuck with the stabilizers once we’re all safely in the ship and blow this place up.”

“What?!” Pink sputters in horror. Her eyes are wide and you think it would be comedic if you weren’t so sure you had the same look on your face.

“I do not believe that would work,” you speak slowly, carefully. The captain’s attention snaps to you. “If we attempted to do something like that, it would most likely redirect to the ship’s reactor. If I recall correctly, when we were taught to sabotage systems, we were told that our devices operate on a local connection. If we try to tamper with something outside of our area, it will not work.”

“Aw, damn,” Mint sighs heavily and flops back into his seat again.

“Plus,” Blue butts in, directing a pointed look at the self-proclaimed (and now proven) sketchy dude. “Even if MIRA is a _horrible_ organization, I’d rather not add _terrorism_ to our list of crimes.”

“I agree with the captain,” Pink huffs, crossing her arms. “Brown _loved_ the tree here. I don’t want it getting destroyed because of some… some half-assed plot to get revenge!” She looks at Leaf and Violet, eyes narrowing into a glare. “And how come _you two_ knew about this?”

“Look, Pink,” Leaf begins, holding up their hands in surrender. “The three of us were stuck here, _alone_ , for over a month.”

“We kind of… h-hate this place,” Violet mutters, shuffling awkwardly. “As a g-game, we thought of things we c-could do when we left this place f-for good. Cy- _Mint’s_ ideas were always the m-most destructive.”

“But he won’t act alone,” Leaf assures. “He’d rather have someone helping him out, so he’s not going to try blowing this place up in petty revenge.” They send a glare toward Mint, who shrugs passively and crosses his arms.

“Yeah, fine, fine… It was just an idea.”

“ _If_ we’re all done here,” Blue grits out, “we need to start loading up the ship. We need to gather as many supplies as possible, and we’re on a time crunch. We’ll meet back here for dinner. Everyone is dismissed.”

\-----------------------

It takes three days before everything is ready to go. The captain is on edge, with four days left until General Plumm’s forces arrive, and he’s worried that MIRA will show up sooner than planned. He calls for Pink, Red, Leaf, and Jude to erase every trace of the Skeld’s presence on Polus, hoping that a repeat of the Kiln’s security footage and audio logs won’t happen. During this, Red suggests having you, Pink, or Lime sabotage comms on the ship when you lift off.

“It might mess with any trackers,” they reason.

When the time comes to leave Polus, the entire crew stands in the door of the Skeld for a final look at one of humanity’s creations. It’s both a bittersweet and urgent moment. You see Captain Blue’s throat bob and his eyes grow glassy before he pulls the lever to raise the door.

“It’s time to go,” is all he says when he walks away.

Once everyone gets their daily tasks written down on paper, you take out your tablet and sabotage comms.

It takes approximately two weeks before the crew arrives on Eldra, the planet that one of Mint’s contacts lives on. The people here are tall, slender, and glow like blue embers. Their technology is the most advanced you’ve ever seen, sleek and _everywhere._ Mint directs the crew’s attention to a massive garage outside of a sprawling city, and the ship lands outside of it. He greets the mechanic that comes out like an old friend and you find yourself wondering _how_ exactly Mint knows these people. When you ask, hours later, he simply smirks and tells you:

“My family’s fulla smugglers.”

His explanation is very unhelpful and leaves much to be desired.

The Skeld is ready for takeoff the next day, free of tracking devices and programs, and equipped with a stronger, more fuel-efficient, engine. When someone asks how the mechanic finished so quickly, they say something about “old, outdated tech” and “child’s play” in their strange, almost whistling, language. You are once again incredibly grateful for the universal translator inside of your helmet.

Your next stop isn’t for another month, and it’s only to load up on food and fuel. The crew stops on the planet Strun for this. The people there, the Bregzaiks, are nowhere near the level of technologically advanced that the Azus of Eldra are, but they’re phenomenal at providing flavorful rations that last all day with a single serving. While you’re there, one of them asks you where you’re going.

“Away from MIRA and their affiliated planets,” you say quietly. They squint all three of their eyes at you, searching.

“Yer one’a those phiri, yeah?” You don’t respond and they nod in what seems to be approval. “I kin see why yer fleein’ those fuckers. Y’hear they lan’ed on Eldra’a week ago? Conf’scated some’a their own machine’ry from’a garage. No sign’a the ship it came from.” The Bregzaik bares their numerous sharp teeth at you with a sparkle in their eye. “Those terrans were _pissed._ Soun’s like they’re searchin’ for some run’ways an’ their trail wen’ cold.” You narrow your eyes up at them, refusing to show your nerves.

“...And if they come here to question you?” The Bregzaik laughs heartily, slapping you on the back like a friend. The motion doesn’t quite knock you over, but it does take your breath away and leave you coughing.

“Us Bregs’re gutsy an’ we like that trait in our allies. None’a us are sayin’ a _thing_ ‘bout you stoppin’ here.”

It’s another month before Blue considers stopping for supplies, but the nearest planet, Liqnu, is allied with Earth, and therefore MIRA. By your estimates, you still have about two and a half weeks until the Skeld reaches your home planet. You bring this to the captain’s attention, and he takes a few minutes to think before calling a meeting. When the crew is seated, he gives an explanation.

“I don’t think we can stretch our fuel that long. We could probably make the food last, but the fuel… I’d say we have a week left, tops.” The captain sighs. “We’re _so close_ to freedom… Are there any other planets we could stop at?”

“Hmm…” Lime rubs his chin in thought. “Maybe… If we double back by about a day…”

“We should be able to get to Langra!” Pink exclaims. “Great thinking, Ustyl. I’m proud of you.” Lime beams under his sister’s praise.

“What’s Langra?” Leaf asks, tilting their head.

“A planet allied with Chenis- our home.” You explain. “Centuries ago, we Phiri assisted the Rephra in a war against the Vonkoll. We have been allies ever since. We do not need to land on the planet proper, however, as they have a fuel station on their largest moon.”

“It would be a close call, since it’s about a week away,” Pink adds, “but it’s our safest option.”

“Okay,” Blue nods, “I guess we’re heading to Langra. Dismissed.”

\---------------------

Pink is right, and the Skeld runs completely out of fuel a few feet above the ground while landing on Septem, Langra’s largest moon. Everything lurches a little, but there’s no damage. An older, somehow familiar,Rephra comes out of the station at the commotion and waits patiently for the door to open. Her upper body is lithe and reaches to about 5’5”, while the rest of her body is long, legless, and serpentine, reaching nearly eight feet from the bottom of the torso to the tip of the tail. Most of her scales are bluish-gray, with the belly scales contrasting at a nice bright blue. Her round pupils match her belly, but her eyes are otherwise black and blend in with the markings covering them. Curiosity sparks in them when the crew steps out.

“Hello there,” the Rephra greets pleasantly. “My name iss Colu. What can I help you with?”

You step forward and remove your helmet.

“Greetings, Colu, I am Andar of Chenis, and my friends here need to refuel so we can return home.”

Colu studies you closely, forked tongue flicking out a few times, before gasping.

“Andar!” She extends a three-fingered hand and grabs one of yours. “My, how you’ve grown. I haven’t sseen you ssince you were a hatchling!”

“Um… Pardon…?”

“Your nurturerss left you with me while they were away for a peacekeeping missssion when you were barely out of the egg.” Colu looks incredibly happy. “I’ll have my boyss fuel up your sship. I would love it if you all came in for a bite to eat. I’m very curiouss about how you’ve been!” She tilts her head one way and then the other, tongue flicking out again before she leans closer to you. “I’m alsso wondering about thosse otherss with you. Mosst of them don’t ssmell like Phiri.”

“Ah, well…” You clear your throat awkwardly. “That is something that can be explained inside.”

In minutes, Colu has led your crew into the building, which seems to double as a diner. She hisses something to a pair of identical brothers with the same markings as her, and they scramble to gather up enough dishes for everyone before hurrying out to refuel the Skeld. Colu brings out a steaming kettle of some type of beverage and several mugs. She explains that the drink is called fea and helps perk people up. Jude is the first of the humans to taste it and immediately sighs happily.

“Tastes just like coffee,” they say, leaning against you. The rest of the crew pour some for themselves at this.

“Well, I wass certainly right about most of you _not_ being Phiri,” Colu mutters, sipping from her own mug. “I have never sseen a sspeciess like you before. Where are you from?”

“We’re humans, from Terra,” White explains calmly. “This fea is delicious, Colu, thank you.”

“Humanss? Terra?” Colu squints one eye, the brow ridge above the other raising. “Aren’t they the oness making… _namess_ for themsselvess acrossss the galaxy? What wass that organization called… MARI? RIMA? ARIM?”

“MIRA,” Green offers, sipping his drink. “They’re a corrupt group and our crew defected.”

“Their higher-ups were going to execute them for being friendly to us,” you quietly explain. Colu looks horrified for a moment before nodding sharply in approval.

“Good on you for quitting ssuch an awful place, then.” She looks back at you. “In the meantime… Andar, how old are you now? It’ss been _sso long_ ssince I’ve sseen you.”

“Ah, I very recently hit my prime,” you smile, wrapping an arm around Jude. “This is Jude, my bond-mate.”

“How wonderful!” Colu is delighted, but gives your partner a critical look. “Now, I don’t know how your sspeciess iss when it comess to choossing mates, but if you causse my little Andar any kind of physsical or emotional harm-”

“Colu…” You groan softly in embarrassment. You barely even remember this Rephra, but she certainly remembers you. Jude takes the well-meaning threat admirably despite the giggling of several other crewmates.

“I have no intention of hurting Andar in any way,” Jude says, wiggling their way under your arm.

“Well, good.” Colu nods in approval again, pausing when the twin Rephra come back in. She turns her attention back to you. “It lookss like your sship iss ready. If you’re returning to Cheniss, you’ll have to come vissit me again ssometime!”

“Thank you for your help, Colu,” Blue smiles and briefly bows his head.

“I will try to find a way to contact you again once we arrive home,” you add.

“I look forward to it,” her tongue flicks out again and she waves you off. “Ssafe travelss!”

Your crew boards the Skeld again, hopefully for the last time, and the ship takes off.

\-----------------------

A week and a half later, Chenis comes into view. It’s as beautiful as ever, and someone, you think Yellow, remarks that it looks a lot like Earth from up here. You and Jude are in comms when a message from the planet comes through. They flip some switches and press a few buttons, and a voice comes from the speaker.

“Control tower to ship, what is your business?” Something in you warms at the sound of another Phiri’s voice.

“Hello,” you greet, “I am Andar, codename Purple, and several months ago, my mission partner, Ustyl, codename Lime, and I were sent to infiltrate a Terran ship known as the Skeld.”

“Andar, Ustyl, hmm…” you hear a shuffling sound from the other end. “Assigned colors purple and lime?” You make a noise of confirmation. “Yes, I have your names here. Was your mission successful?”

“More than successful, I would say,” it’s impossible to keep a pleased note out of your tone. “The Terrans on the ship discovered our identities a few weeks into the trip and decided to ally with us rather than expel us. Along the way, we picked up Onat, codename Pink, assigned to the Kiln, as well as three of her Terran crewmates.”

“I have her name on my list, too. Our scanners say there are several other lifeforms on board as well?”

“Yes, those would be the Terrans, or humans, as they prefer. The ones on this ship are refugees and seek asylum on Chenis. They have defected from their government, as their higher-ups were going to execute _them_ for refusing to execute _us_.”

“Very well. I will contact the council to alert them of newcomers, as well as arrange housing for them. You are clear to land.” Jude writes down the coordinates you’re given, and runs it to Blue and White. Excitement and nerves light their eyes when they return, and you join the rest of the crew at the subsequent meeting, hand-in-hand.

\----------------------

Chenis is truly beautiful, you think. Your humans seem to agree, taking in the soft glowing blues, purples, and greens that make up the general environment when they take their first steps off the Skeld. Your planet’s equivalent to trees are dark and caress the pinkish-purple sky, with colorful crystals and fungal growths jutting from them. The twin moons sink lower to the horizon as the sun slowly rises, red-orange and welcoming in the dawn.

Your name is Andar, codename Purple. You were assigned a mission to investigate an intelligent new species, and made many friends during the course of it.

They are your family now, and you are finally home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again: “Prelude: an action or event serving as an introduction to something more important.” I chose this title for a “new beginning” feel.
> 
> My mental image of Chenis is a weird combination of the Glimwood Tangle from Pokemon Sword/Shield and the Crystal Catacombs under Ba Sing Se from A:tLA. Lots of glowing mushrooms and crystals and super pretty.
> 
> Fun fact: Azus (ah-zoohs) are the dominant people on the planet Eldra (ehl-druh), and “Azus” is both the singular and the plural name of their race, kind of like “deer.” They average a minimum of 8ft tall, and can be up to about 12ft. They kind of look like the Jerrys from the movie “Soul” in that they’re tall and kind of 2D, but they’re mostly solid instead of transparent, and far less detailed. Their particular shade of blue is roughly the same as the souls from the same movie. Their eyes look kind of like hole-punched paper, and they have antler-like protrusions sprouting from their heads. They’re upright/bipedal but have no distinguishable legs or mouths.
> 
> The Bregzaiks (br-egg-sigh-kss) on the planet Strun (stroon) are huge and buff, very much like a DnD orc, but with three eyes. Despite their frightening appearances, they’re pretty open and friendly when they don’t see you as a threat. But if they think someone is dangerous, they won’t hesitate to attempt to do away with them.
> 
> The Vonkoll (vahn-call) of the planet Liqnu (lick-new) are mammalian. The people there look largely like were-creatures in Earth mythology (werewolves, for example). There’s no dominating “species” like wolf people or cat people, but they do tend to separate themselves into mostly same-species groups. Cross-species groups aren’t exactly _rare,_ but they’re significantly less common than single-species ones. They’re a hunting/gathering society with different methods and food preferences for each group. The most common meat sources are avian and aquatic, and “prey” Vonkoll (like deer people) are _not_ on the menu, as it’s considered cannibalism, which is highly frowned upon. (Some groups will, however, hunt down and eat them anyway. These groups are typically executed when discovered.)
> 
> As for the Rephra (reh-frah) on Langra (lane-grah)… They’re reptilian with a largely serpentine population. The snake-like ones resemble nagas, but with significantly less human-like upper bodies, and no hair. The one we meet here, Colu, is based on the blue racer snake ( _coluber constrictor foxii_ ). (Their largest moon, Septem, is named after _regina septemvittata,_ the queen snake.)
> 
> Most of these alien races _probably_ won’t show up again (even in the sequel, which is currently being plotted out), but we’ll see. (If anyone wants to use these, just mention me!) All the names came from FantasyNameGenerators, under their “alien” list!
> 
> (As one of the Bregzaiks, and later Purple, mentioned, the impostor race is called Phiri (fee-ree) and their home planet is Chenis [cheh-niss]!)
> 
> All that’s left now is the epilogue!


End file.
